(Pure Light) Ironhorns
by Remi Silvergold
Summary: Come here, reader, come here to read and listen the story of a dragon, his adventures, how he becomes a detective in Warfang, how he has to fight for his life... and for his vengeance. Come here, reader, and follow the story of Qualt Ironhorns!
1. Forewords

So, first of all, this novel is a fanfic OF a fanfic, which the name is _Pure Light_. So I think you migh read it before so you can understant the context of the story.

For the cover, I had the permission to use it. The original made by Wanderer Tamplior and was posted on the furaffinity and the deviant art of this artist.

Now that all of that is said, have fun while reading _Ironhorns_!


	2. Prologue : Into the Woods

**So... Seeing how messed up you are, tell what happened out there. Tell me what happened after entering the forest, buddy.**

The woods were darker as I, Qualt, like my companions, began to be lost.

I knew that, after the heath, we should have avoided this crappy thing called a forest. I knew it was a bad idea! But, you know, when you have a job, a duty to do, you must do it correctly, you must do it to say _nailed it_ right after. What was my job, you ask? Well, I was just a soldier. A common soldier with a wife and a son. A normal guy, lost between the "great dragons" in Warfang, lost with my dreams and my realities. Lost everywhere, even in a forest! Better luck next time, eh?

But why the bloody hell I would be in a forest? What were my orders?! This is what you maybe ask yourself, curious one (but, if you don't care, well... I don't care of what you're thinking too). You remember the attack on Warfang? Well, after that, I think that the Very Greats of the City were attacked by a scourge worse than these fucking darkers: paranoia, the great Destroyer that build a belt of problems and conspiracy around someone, no matter who he is... or, who he was.

Speaking of darkers, watch out for the originality of my feelings towards them... I hate them. I am literally filled with rage against them. Against them and anything linked to them! But I have my reasons... My wife was killed by the apes during the Great War against Malefor, when Spyro was still a good fella: her throat, I remember, was cut by only one powerful sword swing and her head was rolling just like a ball... Thanks Gaul! Yeah, apes weren't darkers but... My son, him, was killed during the Warfang Attack, recently. He had twenty-two years of life behind him and a bravery that can be considered now as madness. I shouldn't have told him these stories that I loved when I was younger. He followed the example of the courageous heroes and rushed into a darker. Alone. He didn't survived. At least, his enemy was killed too... and, that, by my son! Now, I don't know if I have to be proud of him or ashamed by his stupidity...

Hey! I said that I was a soldier with a wife and a son, I didn't say that they were alive.

Anyway, what I wanted to say, before speaking of darkers and my family, was this: I was sent outside with a team to find anything, even a small evidence that could lead us to find Spyro or Malefor, that could help us to win this terrible war. Ugh! And now my allergy to Purple Dragons came back! Ugh!

So we travelled for hours and hours, searching for something that maybe didn't exist. And we saw these FUCKING woods and penetrated in to searching, again...

And here we were, lost in the middle of the world's asshole. And you want to know my thoughts about that, ain't ya? One word:

_FUCK!_

Nothing else. Plus, I have a terrible sense of orientation. Yay... Thankfully, my teammates were here with me. Even if we were all lost. All lost but together like a good old group of adventurers and a bunch of idiots!

But who where them? Well, we were, with me, five. I know, it's a small group!

First, you had me, you began to know me except the fact that I was an ice dragon (but I think you saw that) and the fact that I wasn't a very very strong cunt.

Next, Hyurt, a good friend of mine that was... well, a male-lover, even if he was a dragon and not a dragoness. He was a yellow electric fag. He liked to be alone sometime because he liked that feeling of loneliness, of peace and quiet. Too bad for you, we had to stay together this time! He wasn't a chat box, as we usually see with electric dragons... He even was the total opposite! Sometime, you'd even ask yourself if he had a tongue or not!

You had Gloria too, an ice dragoness like me. And, when I say "like me", it's _LIKE ME_, even for the physical features and for the tragic story! Damn! Didn't knew that sisters would follow the exact same way of their big brother! The only difference is that she kicked more asses than I did.

Then, you had Earthquake... It wasn't his real name but he was called like that so frequently that he even forgot his own name! And he was called like that because, well, he was a loud person... and because he was an earth dragon. My relations with him were... Meh! I didn't like him so much but I wasn't hating him. He was a pal, nothing more. A very useful pal.

Finally, Freat, the youngest one but, well, the one with the best logical sense. A grey wind dragon. But, he... HE... was a chat box. I had to thank the forest to make him shutting the hell his noisy mouth up! Aaaaand I didn't knew much more of him (maybe because I didn't listen to him thanks to his horrible voice!). The first time that I met him was before going on our amazing journey.

So, now, you know what was the team. And this team was fucking incredible! Don't trust me? Go fuck yourself, then.

"Sis!" I said. "Do you think we should fly to know where we are and where to go to get out of here?"

"Actually, look up and you'll have your simple answer: no..." answered Freat to my question.

"I didn't ask you! Now, please, shut the fuck..."

"Bro... He's right, actually..." said Gloria by interrupting my declaration of love to the wind dragon. "Just look up and you'll see that the trees don't help us to fly. Plus we will be spotted. I fear that we have to stay on the ground."

"And that's why Hyurt must be our light during this night", sighed Earthquake.

Oh! I didn't mention that it was the night already?

"What!" yelled my friend. "How! And why me!"

"Because our superiors didn't have the intelligence to put us a fire dragon in our team to, for a simple and brutal example, making torches!" was my answer to that.

"But you know that my electricity is not enough luminous to make a proper light-source!"

"The less we are in the dark, the better we will be", grumbled Freat.

"OKAY! FINE! I'll do it! But don't hope hearing me speak after that!"

"Ah ah! Whatever!" I laughed.

Told you that this team was fucking incredible.

So he covered himself with some little lightnings bolts. It wasn't the brightest, neither the lightnings, but it was enough to make us see a little bit in front of us.

Step by step, I was looking around me and it was the same things again and again: trees, bushes, _et caetera, et caetera_... And it was oppressive and, not gonna lie, really spooky. I'll be honest with you, I was scared, the forest was good for awe. And that always for hours. But I wasn't taking a look back: always look at the future and move forward, always forward. Never run away. Don't be a coward, even if you have to die. But, well, that didn't stop my heart to beat faster and faster AND louder... Fuck, I think that, with this gloomy atmosphere, I almost pissed myself! Ah! I would have looked great!

And, you know how I did not pissed myself and threw away, for a moment, all my fears? A joke. Humour was the only way to making me comfortable in situations like that: it's a way to get out of reality for a moment. Same thing with sadness. It keeps me away from madness.

"Hey, guys!" I began. "With all of that, you think that we will find a big castle with a mysterious person that is in fact a vampire?"

"You read too much books, dude", said Gloria with a smile that I could see even if I was at her back.

"What? The atmosphere is present and we are a group of adventurers... It's perfect for that kind of story!"

"I changed my mind, I think you don't read enough books..."

"Why that brutal change in your opinion?

"You forgot the fog. NEVER forget the fog, it's important!" she said with a laugh.

I smiled... but I was the only one. The three others were completely quiet. And I thought that Hyurt was the one that didn't has a tongue sometimes. But, after a moment of silence...

"If we find a castle..." began the earth dragon. "Don't put Hyurt in the chamber where I'll be sleeping."

"Why that?" asked the noisy wind.

"Well... 'Cause I don't want to be fucked! Ah ah!"

And the silence, after a laugh from Gloria and me, fell down again on our group. Freat was still struggling to comprehend the joke and Hyurt, well... He was Hyurting, as always, and kept quiet. And, at the same time, we were looking around for, you know, something to complete our job. But, the thing that reassured me was the fact that, even if we find nothing, we would always have he possibility to get out of the damn forest and to get back to Warfang and to explain that we found nothing... even if, for that, we had to get out of the damn forest first, a thing that wasn't easy as pie.

And I had a bad feeling during our walk: the feeling of not being alone. Yes, I was with my team but, I felt that someone or something watched us. And, then, again, my heart made a loud music...

"Wait..." suddenly said Freat.

"What?" was my answer.

"Earthquake, you mean that Hyurt is gay if he wants to fuck you?"

"Well played! Really well played! You found it on your own? And after all this time. You didn't know, you useless fag?" shot sarcastically the earth dragon.

"Hyurt! Are you really... Are you really..."

"What? Homosexual? Yes, and?"

"Well, it's against nature and..."

"If it was against nature I wouldn't be gay. Now shut the hell up because everything you say right now is fucking stupid and useless."

"Thankfully, I'm not in front of you..."

"Don't worry! You're not my kind of dragon anyway!" he finished with a laugh.

"Guys...?" I said, after he finished laughing, in a quiet voice that was more a whisper than anything else.

"What?" they asked at the same time.

"Do you have this feeling?"

"What feeling?"

"The feeling of not being alone. I feel observed by something..."

"Maybe it's your imagination..." said one of my companions but I don't remember who because I was listening closely to what could possibly be around.

"Yeah... Maybe..." I whispered to myself after looking and listening. "Even if we must be prepared to everything... Let's get over this and get the fuck out of these fucking damned woods!"

"You think that we waited you for that?" grumbled Gloria. "Freat, be useful for once and help us to find something that might lead us to an exit."

And, then...

The silence...

"Freat?"

We all looked back... to see that he was missing.

"Freat? Where the fuck did he go!" I said, under surprise. "Freat! If it's a joke, it's not funny, you freak!"

"I don't think it's a joke..." whispered Hyurt.

And then...

The silence...

The deadly silence...

The only things that I heard were my companions breathing and my heart beating...

"Let's search him", ordered seriously Earthquake with his loud voice that made us shiver a little. "And let's search him separated, to make the search easier."

"NO!" I replied immediately! "FUCK NO! We stay together, no matter what! Don't you read books?!"

"Books are books! Fictions are fictions!"

"Maybe but, here, it's not a fiction! And, fuck, look at how he disappeared! If we separate, it's death the only thing that will find us!"

"Guys! Stop that! Stop bickering at each other and let's try to find Freat!" said my sister.

"Yeah, but where? He disappeared suddenly like, he was here and, _plop!_ No more Freat!" said the electricity dragon. "Which way do we search first!"

"Arg! I told you that I felt observed! It's maybe that thing that took Freat away!"

"And what is this thing, for you?!" asked Earthquake.

"I don't know! It can be anything! ANYTHING! A dragon, a monster, a... a..."

"A what, bro?"

"A darker!" I said between me teeth with rage.

The only fact that there was maybe a darker around us filled me with hate but, at a same time, with dread...

"A darker? No, I don't think so. It was too quiet!" noticed my friend.

Yeah, he was probably right... But whatever was this thing, if it was really a thing that took Freat from us and not himself running off, it was dangerous... It was silent but deadly as a fucking fart (told you that humour was the only way for me to not getting mad with these situations)!

I took a long breath and said:

"So... Where do we go? Where do we begin the search?"

'"Don't know..." answered Gloria. "But, first, we must stay calm and not cede to panic. We are soldiers, after all! Next, let's try to search for clues where he disappeared and... Oh... my... fuck..."

"What!" said Hyurt... and I.

My sister, with a move of her head, showed me a direction... And, then, I saw a thing that made me take a step back: blood. A bit of blood was where was Freat. And the silence was here, again, and was horrible... It was worse that everything you can imagine... I think that some tears came to my eyes...

"Oh no..." I said.

But, then, that feeling again. That feeling to be watched, that feeling to be surrounded by a monster, by a nightmare. My breath began to be very loud, I was so sweaty... And, a voice, suddenly, resonated around us...

"Kill... Kill... Kill..." said the horrible and whispering throaty voice. "Kill... Kill... Kill..."

Suddenly, a mist began to surround us... until we were completely blinded by all this fog.

"You wanted fog, Gloria? Here you have! A very MIST-ERIOUS FUCKING FOG!" I said with anger and close to tears.

"What the fuck is happening to us!?" Earthquake cried in despair.

"RUUUUUUUUN!" we suddenly heard!

It was Hyurt who was screaming that! I turned my head into his direction before seeing a fast dark form rushing into my friend! I tried to jump on this thing but I was paralysed! And we couldn't see a thing with that mist! The only one that could have chased this thing was Freat with is wind element, but now that he was gone...

"Kill..."

Then, their was a very horrible and terrifying sound: flesh being ripped! The dark form disappeared with a high-pitched cry and blood splattered my face as I heard a groan that gave me the chills! I tried to move again but I couldn't as fear was taking all over me... All over me and even my friends.

And the silence... The horrible silence as the fog began to disappear...

When the mist completely vanished, we saw our electric friend... or what was left of him... He was laying on the ground, blood flowing like rivers from his injured neck... Then, he moved a little! He was still alive... but he was dead, his wound was too deep and we all knew it. And something caught my eyes...

Next to him was a fluorescent yellow stain.

"D... D... Da..." Hyurt tried to say. "Dar..."

He didn't had to finish, we all understand what was going on...

But, right after this word, his head fell to the ground with a groan and I saw life flying away from his eyes... And the smell... My god, the stinky smell was horrible... But, at this point, I didn't care! No! My heart was beating loud and my voice screamed:

"RUN! RUUUN!"

And that's what we did. We ran for our life. Now that our light was completely dead, we had to move in the dark, together, to find a place to be in security. And I was the first to run... Treat me as a coward, I don't care, we had to save our life together by staying very close.

Our breaths were jerky and loud as we rushed into the dark, into the unknown. And this race was, for me, eternal... It was like a nightmare: I had the impression to be paralysed even if I ran the faster I could.

"Go ahead!" suddenly said my sister.

"WHAT!" I replied! "NO! YOU STAY WITH US! WE HAVE TO BE TOGETHER!"

"AND WE HAVE TO SURVIVE, BROTHER!"

When she said "brother", I knew she was serious.

"WE HAVE TO SURVIVE! AT LEAST, ONE OR TWO OF US HAVE TO SURVIVE! NOT ALL OF US GOING TO DIE TONIGHT!"

"GLORIA! NO! PLEASE! DON'T DO IT!"

"I'm sorry..."

Then, she turned around and ran in the opposite direction that we were taking while yelling with rage:

"COME HERE, YOU STUPID FUCK! COME HERE!"

I stopped and tried to run after her...

"GLORIAA!"

I took a step forward but was retained by Earthquake.

"No. Let her go... Qualt... It's her choice. She saves our life, don't make it useless."

I stood quiet in front of what he said to me... It was the truth... but I wasn't believing it... I wasn't believing that, again, a member of my family was taken by a darker...

So I followed him, silently. Tears came to my eyes as I imagined what was happening to my sister, the only family that I had...

"Here!" said Earthquake after a moment. "A cave. I think that it will protect us for a moment. We need to rest a little and to plan what will we do. We cannot run forever."

So we penetrated this place and stood in the dark, taking our breath back from this horrible run. But mine wasn't coming back and I began to... cry... Yes, to cry like a baby...

"Gloria… No… That cannot be happening… That cannot be happening! Fuck... Fuck... Fuck fuck fuck fuck f..."

Then, I got slapped by my companion.

"Shut the fuck up! Look at you! You're crying? What are you! A soldier or a cry-baby! WHAT ARE YOU!"

As I stood quiet, he continued:

"And how old are you? Forty-five?"

"Forty-seven..."

"FORTY-SEVEN! AND YOU CRY AT THAT AGE! GET YOUR SHIT TOGETHER!"

"Go fuck yourself..."

"Yeah, and die miserably and make your sister die for nothing!"

"I said: go fuck yourself... When I'll get back to Warfang, I swear I'll quit my job!"

"Yeah, IF you can getting back to the City!"

"Excuse-me?" suddenly said an old voice. "Are you... Are you dragons?"

"No, we're unicorns dancing on rainbows!" said I without controlling what I was saying. "Wait... Who talked! Who are you!"

"Do not worry, I am not an enemy..."

From the deep of the cave, a light began to shine... It was a torch. And it was getting closer to us. Then, when it was next to us...

We saw a cheetah... A very old cheetah. His look was uncomfortable: illness was on his face.

"I see that you escaped, for now, the Dark Creature that roams the forest..."

"You know it?" asked Earthquake. "What do you know about that monster! Tell us!"

The cheetah kept the silence and came to sit right next to us.

"Here, you are in security... He never come in other caves than His one. Oh, dear, you look injured with that blood on your face..."

"That's not my blood... Wait... His cave?" I replied.

"Yes... He never comes into other cave than the one He keeps everything He eats."

As I heard that, I think I almost puked as I imagined my little sister being eaten by this fucking...

"And He always appears in the forest at night."

"You never tried to get out of here?"

"Yes, I did, but I always ended lost. So I decided to stay here..."

"Since when have you been here?" I said surprised.

"I don't know... but many years... Many years where I saw Him getting stronger and stronger..."

"You know what? I don't know who the fuck you are but you look like your knowledges about this darker are great... Tell us everything", exclaimed Earthquake. "We need to know who is our enemy!"

"Fine, stranger..." he said before showing that he was sick by a terrible cough. "He never get out during the night, he stays in His cave... I remember approaching His home and almost get killed by Him. But, you are probably wondering, strangers, how I was stuck here... That was some years ago, I don't know the exact number. We were, with a group of cheetahs, here during the night. And He attacked us. He was loud, bestial, savage... and extremely dangerous. When He came to us for hunting, there was always a giant mist where He did whatever He wanted to us. This Dark Creature killed all my companions but I was the only one to survive and to fly and hide where He couldn't find me. He learned from Nature how to, without a sound, move and hunt down His preys... And so the time passed and other cheetahs came here to find the others... It was then that He learned the only words he know... The only words that haunt me like the Ghost of our past every night, worst than a simple nightmare..."

"And what are these words?" asked Earthquake.

Suddenly, I saw a livid face in front of me. I saw a gigantic fear into his eyes... And what I heard next made me shiver...

"Kill..."

The cheetah put his pawn on his chest... above his heart... and suffered in silence before falling down, head first, the torch with him.

I turned back to see the nightmare coming really fast... The fog began to swarm the cave...

"Kill..."

Earthquake and I were stepping back as the mist was getting closer and closer...

"Kill..."

It was too fast for us... We were surrounded by the horror... In front of me, I saw the same dark form who killed my friend... And I saw the two yellow bestial and terrifying eyes looking into mine, looking into the deeper side of my soul...

"Kill..."

The darker jumped into my direction! I was lost! He was going to end my life...

But he was interrupted by my companion, who caught him and made him fly far away! My rage was, at this moment, at its highest! So I decided to jump on the creature, even if I could barely see a thing with that mist! But, once I was right in front of that monster who's smell was bloody, I got punched and thrown back! It was incredibly strong...

The ground began to quake: it was my friend who was using his earth element! The creature yelled a blood-curdling scream! As I gritted my teeth, I tried to move to the darker and, then, with a rage explosion, I used my element and was trying to _ice_ this little fuck! My breath went like lightning into the dark form in front of me...

Before hearing screaming with pain a familiar voice. The one that I was using my element against was, indeed, Earthquake. I stopped immediately, asking myself what I have done...

"GET OUT!" yelled my friend at me! "GET THE FUCK OUT! I HAVE NO CHANCE TO SURVIVE! GET OUT! OUT!"

And, like a fucking coward, I listened my friend even if I didn't want to and ran away from that place.

"Kill..."

That was the only thing I heard before the loud and probably long pain of my friend behind me. While running, I was crying... All my companions were dead, I had no more family... I had nothing anymore. I was just lost between my dreams, my nightmares and my realities. And I was just lost in the dark wood during this bloody night like a sheep... like a lamb hunted by the Big Bad Wolf...

"Kill... Kill... Kill..."

That's what _I_ was saying while running. My rage and my sorrow were combined in one powerful feeling: the lust... The lust for vengeance... I was ashamed of myself, of what I did this night like a fucking coward! I was so paralysed in front of it... It was really different from the darkers that I had to fight during the Warfang's Attack... During this Attack, I was in my city, surrounded by allies... but, here, it was only darkness everywhere...

I had to kill this darker... but, at the same time, I had to get out of this hellish forest! I had to! For my companions... For my sister... Arg! If I just could fly away, that would have been more easy... That wouldn't have been this bloodbath.

I stopped running. A cold fire was burning into my chest and it was yelling at me: _Vengeance! Vengeance! Vengeance! Kill! Kill! Kill!_ And this fire began to get up right into my eyes, my claws, my fangs, my head and my heart!

_ "_Kill... Kill... Kill..." I whispered to myself.

This darker, tonight, would be dead and _cold_!

I had to do my job, my duty, and I would say _nailed it_ right after!

So I turned around and began to run through darkness in direction of where Earthquake was when I let him to this fuck!

Back to the cave, the torch was still blazing and I saw that there was no body... Only blood. But only blood... that created a trail to my enemy's lair! I took the torch and followed the red mile that leaded to my goal!

As I walked forward, through the night, I finally arrived at another cave, were the blood was still continuing to go deeper. So I stepped inside...

Horrible sounds came to my ears: he was beginning to eat. The hunt ended for him but just began for me.

After a moment, I was at the entrance of a sort of room... In the middle was the Darker, a dragon-like form, and all around him were the bloody corpses of all my friends. And I said _friends_, not _sister_... Where was she...? Did he _already_ eat her?

Suddenly, a feminine noise... a feminine cry of pain, of suffering, in the middle, with the darker. Here she was, under the claws of this fuck, alive! O the joy that was in me. Maybe it wasn't too late for her! Maybe...

The darker suddenly bit her in the neck. A scream... and the flesh, as life, was out of her body... out of her corpse.

My vision turned fuzzy! My self fire was a brazier of Hell... And my rage was the thing that guided my heart.

So I ran on him while yelling:

"KIIIIIIIILLLLLL!"

He turned his head into my direction to see my icy breath on him! A terrible cry went from this motherfucker so I jump into him! The flawless impact made him fly far away and hit a wall of the room.

"YOU'LL PAY FOR WHAT YOU DID!" I yelled before running again into his direction, my horn in evidence to hit his dark corpse!

My rage made me stronger than ever in my lifetime! And my purpose gave me the courage to go and kill him! A smile appeared on my face while I was getting closer and closer...

But his face showed no expression against that, not even fear! No... it was the opposite... I think I even saw him smiling back...

But it was over, for him! He had no escape and would die by my fangs!

"KIIIIIILLL!" I shout with all my anger!

But he dodged me and I ran into the wall... My horns broke and flew away and pain went all over my body. I fell on the floor like my horns, groggy...

Then, I felt his claws on me... Then, I felt his claws in me. I yelled with this pain.

He put me on my back, when I could now see his horrible face.

And I knew that it was the end for me when I saw my terrified face into the reflection of his terrible yellow eyes and I saw him raising his right paw, every claws outside. And I knew my destiny was sealed when I heard from him:

"I... Killed... You."

But, suddenly...

Something came to my mind. Something so obvious that it would make almost uncomfortable!

I used my element.

I used my icy breath on him!

He turned his head to my left so I could attacking him with my hind paws! And you bet that it was what I did! I projected him away! I finally stoop up again and avail the occasion! I rushed again. He was still lying, it was the moment!

Once I was next to him, he made a rapid move with his head, all fangs out. But I dodged, the pain from my horns making me weaker than ever! I swung my right front-arm into his direction and hit him! Yellow blood flew out of his wood but it wasn't mortal, it wasn't as effective as I hoped.

And then I felt his claws on my chest! I yelled and hit him again!

He stepped back, bleeding just like me. But my rage and my determination were so strong...

I spat on him my glacial breath, so this slender body took a step back and to run with a horrible scream to hear!

"COME HERE!" I yelled!

But he continued to run away! Maybe he though that I was too dangerous for his life and counting to come back later and kill me...

I watched him run... and only watched him run. Like I said, with my horns and my pain, I became weaker... Even if my profession was to be a soldier, I wasn't invincible and wounds like those are too violent to be inoffensive!

I began to breath harder and harder... and louder... And my members became wobbly as I fell down on the ground in silence. I sighed, now alone and in a quiet and "safe" place for a moment.

I looked around, I looked at every of my dead friends... and my eyes were blocked on the body of Gloria. I crawled the her bloody dead corpse and cried. I gave her a hug... I gave her a last hug to finally say:

"Goodbye..."

I was destroyed. I lost everything this night... Everything worth the fight: even Warfang and every innocent in there were nothing to me next to my friends and my family.

So I stood here, my arms around her body and my head on one of her shoulders, crying in silence. My vengeance's lust was still in my mind but it began to have a more little place in my brain. It was, instead, the envy to get out of this damn place, hoping that the darker wouldn't come back.

My heart, everytime it was beating in my chest, was hurting me and I suffered during hours, forced to see my blood getting out of my body.

Tiredness and boredom were taking a great victory as a legendary hero triumphing on a terrible evil knight. And I quickly was out of tears.

Then, I suddenly heard a sound... But not a common sound or a terrifying one like steps getting closer... No, it was something that overtook me with a gigantic joy: a voice. A grave voice.

A smile appeared on my face and this felling gave me the strength to take my breath and to yell, ignoring the pain:

"HEEEEEY! OVER HEEEEERE! OVER HEEEEEEEEEEEERE! HEEEEEEEELP! HEEEEEEEEELP!"

A silence followed my sentences. A stressing silence... Did they hear me? Was I lost? All those questions popped into my mind...

Despair once again nestled in me as tears of sadness were coming.

"Did you heard that?" said the voice.

"Yes!" said an other. "Over there. But watch out, it may be a trap."

Tears of happiness were coming.

"OVER HEEEERE! I'M NOT AN ENEMY! I'M A ALLY! QUICK! HELP!"

Then, I heard steps. They became louder as they approached!

And when I saw them... Oh my god, you don't imagine how happy I was: dragons!

"I'M SAVED!" I exclaimed!

"By Ember, what happened here!" said one of them, a red one.

They were from Warfang! Yes! I was sure to be saved now!

Then, finally, I heard a voice resonating in the room.

"Kill... Kill... Kill..."

I began to shiver and to cry...

"No... He's back... He's back!"

"Who's back?"

"Don't you hear it!? DON'T YOU!"

"Hear what?"

"That voice... His voice... His terrible voice..."

"I hear nothing..."

"You don't hear this resonating voice... BUT HE'S BACK! I SWEAR! I SWEAR I HEAR IT! HIS VOICE! HIS VOICE!"

"Wow, calm down, dude! Nobody's here, except us!"

But, even with their words, I continued to cry like a baby...

"God, what a mess here..."

I didn't knew if he was talking about the room and the corpses... or about me. Then, something, a question, came to me...

"Is... Is it the day?"

"Yes. And you must be the group sent outside. We had to find you because you had to come back yesterday and we had to, at least, if you were all dead, find your corpses. But, why this question?"

"It's the day? Oh! Please! Pick me and get me back to Warfang! Please! Before this darker comes back!"

"Darker? You said darker?"

"Yes... It's a darker who made... this... Oh please, quick, take me! I want to go out! Please... Please before he comes back... I want to go back at my home..."

"Don't worry, bud, we won't take long."

"Thank you... Thank you so much..." I answered before falling into the darkness of unconsciousness, before everything became dark...

Then, when I woke up, I was here, in this hospital chamber.

…

What?

**When I said "tell me what happened", I didn't mean to tell me in details.**

So why didn't you interrupt me?

…

...

**Because I like details in stories.**

Oh, okay then.

**So you encountered a darker.**

Yes.

**And you don't know his name?**

Because you think that he wanted to call me over for diner?

**True...**

But I may have one that could fit. Oh yeah! I have the perfect name for this fuck!

**Ah?**

Yeah.

**Tell me it, so.**

_Myst._


	3. Chapter I : Iron horns

**FIRST BRANCH**

**Qualt's iron horns**

The fog was everywhere with the darkness, the cold, and death. He didn't knew where he was... or maybe he didn't want to believe that, deep inside of him, he knew. His breath was loud and fast and he tried to run away from this mist. But, even if he ran for hours without stopping, the land around him didn't change and the white smoke was still surrounding him.

His head turned in every directions... and he finally stepped on a warm liquid. A warm scarlet liquid...

Fear began to take over him… and he saw the bodies, the bloody corpses of the ones he once knew.

Suddenly, he felt observed... He felt that something was right behind him...

He turned around, slowly... very slowly, afraid of what _was_ watching him. And he recognized what it was when he saw the two bright yellow eyes and when he heard the terrible voice...

"Kill... Kill... Kill..."

He yelled a scared scream.

* * *

"What's happening!" asked a wounded dragon that just woke up.

Qualt's breath was quick, jerky and tears were on his face.

"Oh... that's just him..." moaned the same dragon before returning into sleep.

Then, the jerky breath turned into a silent sob. Even after one week, these events were still destroying his mind. He tried to make some humour, sometime, but he didn't get a laugh... Not even from himself... That was evident, the mark of what happened that night would be deep into him forever.

Then, he calmed down and the total silence was coming back as he got up from bed and moved to the window. He wanted the refreshing and calming night air.

He inspired deeply and expired slowly. His friends and sister's death was overtaking his mind and prohibiting him to sleep. Even if he lost his wife and his son before, the fact that Gloria past away destroyed him. Before that, whatever who died, he always had a member of his family left. But, now...

But pain woke up into his chest, a gift left by the one he call Myst during their fight. He gritted one's teeth and swore to search this darker and to kill him! But, for now, he had to stay during one or two more nights in there. There was only one thing left to be done here.

And while thinking of that, he put one paw on the rest of his right horn.

He sighed and returned to sleep, trying to stay away from nightmares this time.

* * *

"Mister Ironhorns?"

Qualt was staring at the window and turned his head towards the voice.

"Please, don't call me that name. I have no family left now, it's useless to have a family name", he answered.

"Well, I fear that, even if you abandon that name, it will be your new nickname after the operation. Follow us."

He obeyed and followed the doctor.

* * *

The operation was painful as they fixed the false horns on the top of his head and he almost broke one or two teeth thank to his suffering. A bandage was now around the finished product. And now he needed some rest. But sleep was hard to come and he once again got up from bed and moved to the window.

His eyes were always blocked in one direction: a graveyard that was not so far from the hospital. A graveyard where every members of the Ironhorns family were laying. Only one was not in there. And this one was, at this moment, touching his horns, his _iron_ horns.

How _iron_ic, isn't it?

* * *

It finally was the day where he got out of the hospital, with a lot of bandages on his body but the great scar on his chest visible to the entire world. His iron horns were shinning to the solar beams.

He moved to the graveyard to see the tomb of his family. He was finally in front of where Gloria was laying at that moment. He inspired and whisper:

"Gloria, I promise, you will be avenged. I promise I will kill Myst! I promise! I'll do it for you... and for our friends... and for the family. After that, I swear, I'll stop being an Ironhorns. After that, Qualt Ironhorns will die to become..."

But he stopped as he felt that someone was behind him. He turned around to see a yellow dragon with a lot of scars on his body.

"I knew I would find you here", he said.

"What's new since I'm now without a family and since I was in this hospital chamber, boss?"

"Nothing special."

"And why did you came here to see me? You have something in head, that's for sure."

"I see you're beginning to know me..."

"So, what is it?"

"Now that you're out of the hospital, you'll work again.''

"Haven't I vacations or something after what I endured into this fucking forest?"

"I see that your language is always as poetic as before. And, yeah, you _had_ vacations... while you were healing."

"And I see that you are always as manipulator and as player on words as before... So, what will it be? An other exploration outside?"

"No. This time, you have a little promotion. You were a simple soldier yesterday, today, you're an investigator, a _detective_."

"And why do you think I can do that job?"

"Your past in Warfang told us that you are intelligent enough to do what we want of you."

"Yeah, as obedient as a good puppet, it would have been the same coming from your mouth."

"If you were as obedient as you said, you wouldn't have said that."

''Words are different from actions. So, what do you want from me, now that I'm a... _detective_?"

"A murder. It happened last night."

"And who's the lucky one?"

"Who _are_ the lucky ones. Two children: a brother and his little sister."

"Any possible evil brother?"

"Nah. They were the only children of the Gald family."

"You say me that like I know who they are... But who the fuck are they!"

"1st class citizens."

"Yeah... still don't know who they are and why you send _me_ instead of you other detectives."

"First, you're the only 'detective' that is not busy."

"Wrong! I'm busy doing nothing...'

''Second, the Gald family is a rich family who's the only ones left in are, now, the two parents: Pold and Frey. And the victims are Korth and Lilya.'

"Any other informations?"

"Pold is a painter and a writer. And Frey is a scientist who works the most of her time with Merth Altherio, a mole."

"Please don't be a creepy love story between a dragoness and a mole..."

"Don't worry, these two are like hating each other. They work together because they need the knowledge of the other for some subjects."

"Thanks for explaining me what working in a team is."

"Stop being so cynical, please."

"You wish too much dreams to come true, I see."

"So, Ironhorns, I think that questioning the two parents is the best thing to do for now."

"Yeah, maybe. But where do I have to go?"

Then, the yellow dragon took a paper and wrote the address. He gave it finally to Qualt and answered right after:

"Now get out of that graveyard and get back to work."

"Yeah, yeah, I understood!" he said while moaning.

"Oh! And I heard the way you told your story. A bit vulgar."

"And? You have a problem with that?"

"No, not me, but other yes. You look like a 3rd Class Citizen, ah ah!"

"You say that like I give a fuck about it! Because you think that the fact they're complaining about my vulgarity will change the way I am? Ah ah! Fuck nope! I am like this and I'll be forever like this! And the ones that complaining about how vulgar I am, they can go fuck themself and get used to what the world is: violent and vulgar, no matter who you are or where you are! Eh! They cry because of this but, at least, I'm honest with the world and myself."

And he turned around and began to move to the direction of the address. But, before he passed the exit of the graveyard...

"Oh! And, for the 'Myst' you encountered during your walk at the forest and you swore to kill...'

"Yeah?"

"I know someone who probably encountered him too and tried to know more about him. Maybe he has some informations about it that can interest you."

"1st Class Citizen? 2nd?"

"None of the two."

"Oh, okay. And what's his name?"

"Doug Harmot, a mole."

"Okay, I'll try to see him."

"We both know that you won't try but do it."

"Yeah, maybe, whatever. Thanks for the info, anyway."

"You're welcome, my dear.''

And, after this discussion, Qualt finally gone into the direction of his destiny...

* * *

He was in the dark, in front of a mirror. He knew he couldn't see himself but, for him, it was the better: he disgusted himself. And a question went into his mind: why did he let that monster doing this? Why...

Suddenly, he heard a voice, right behind him:

"Don't be disgusted like that, don't make that face... We both know why I killed them..."


	4. Chapter II : Family Friendly

"Hey! You know who I am, don't you?" whispered a very low voice. "Yes, you know exactly who I am... You saw me a loooot of times in your life. And, you know what? With your father, we have a... complicated relationship. Really complicated. Unfortunately, everything, every error that made your daddy, has to fall on you... But, shhh, don't do anything... Don't bite, don't scream, don't yell, don't cry... because your sister can pay the consequences too. Now, stay calm and everything is gonna be alright, everything is gonna be fine... Everything is gonna end very soon..."

The little dragon, in his bed, had his eyes opened by this voice... And the claws went on his neck. Tears came out at the same time as the painful sensation of his breath being cut. And the room was now full of a horrible smell of urine, excrement... and blood, as his throat was taken away from his weak little body. But no sound was made... no sound, at least, that could be heard from the outside of the room.

A smile went to the dragon's face as he licked his bloody claws. No mark of him will be on the ground. It was a perfectionist work that he made here once he finished the job.

Next, he went to the little sister's room and made the same speech... and the same bloody actions...

* * *

Qualt Ironhorns finally arrived at the Gald's house. The door was closed so he knocked at the door. He waited with patience into silence.

Something around this place had a... really sad aura, the atmosphere was the kind that was crushing your heart, that was throwing it into a cage, a prison, and then was making it claustrophobic. So, yeah, that wasn't a good place to live happily ever after.

Then, a black dragon opened the door.

"Yeah?" he asked with a sad voice.

"Pold Gald?"

"It's me... What do you want…?"

"I think I'm the one that you're waiting, the detective."

"Oh... Enter, please."

"Thank you. I am truly sorry for what happened that night..."

"Thank you... So, can we be quick on this case…? I want it to finish the fastest possible."

"Yeah, I understand. Is your wife here?"

"Yes."

"Alright, I will ask you questions to both of you while investigating the crime scene."

"The crime _scenes_... The two slept in different rooms. The corps are still here... on their bed."

"Okay. Go get your wife and join me, if you want all of it being quick... Where's their room?"

"Up there."

"Thanks. Join me with your wife, so."

He got out of a satchel he had in home a little notebook he just bought with a pen he just bought too before going here. And he moved to the first room.

The window was in front of a big house. Maybe he would check the neighbourhood's witness after that.

Once he entered the room, it _st__a__nk_ horribly. He almost puked but, after the last nights, he was now used to that kind of smell: the death one.

Near the middle of the room, there was a bed where laid a very young yellow dragoness. Her throat was just a bloody mess and her eyes were now just white but still wet as tears didn't evaporate.

Then, behind him, he heard steps. He turned around and saw the black dragon and a yellow dragoness. He sighed.

"So, Mister and Miss Gald, what were you doing last night?"

"I was sleeping", she answered. "But I had... a terrible nightmare, a terrible feeling. I had this intuition that something terrible was going to happen..."

"Me too..." completed the father.

"Parent intuition. I know what you feel here. I had it too... right before the Warfang attack began."

He looked closely at the body before...

"Ah! Well, I know it's pretty obvious but your daughter was killed with claws and not with a rudimentary weapon. So it's not a mole but someone with claws... Probably a dragon with the size of these claws."

"Oh... Who could possibly do that kind of thing... Would could possibly kill a four years old little dragoness and a six years old dragon, for the love of Ember!"

_Don't count on that love_, he almost replied but, instead of it, after writing the infos in his notebook, he said:

"And he probably entered by your window. Maybe I can ask your front neighbours. Do you know who they are?"

"Yes", answered the black dragon, "they are good friends of mine."

"So, if they are good friend of you, what are their names?"

"Fiz. Their name is Fiz. And it's a young couple that I helped with their money problems."

"Money problems?"

"Yes... Many years ago, almost five years, I helped them with their problems with a 3rd Class Citizen gang. I paid their debt. After all, I knew Hulrich Fiz since he was a young little dragon."

"I see... Can you continue this story in details while I will inspect the boy's room? Their is nothing here that can help me but the corps and the window."

"Yes."

So they let Lilya to move into the direction of Korth. He was laying on his bed too, also dead with an absent throat. But something came into his mind when he finally saw the body: a question...

"Why that dragon's green and you are black and yellow?"

"Oh... Well, listen to the story if you want to have an answer... It is linked to that."

"Oh, really?"

"Yes..."

"Okay, I can listen to you very closely because it's like for your daughter: nothing helps me to find the culprit, their isn't a single clue. So, yeah, go ahead, please..."

"Very well, so, it was almost five years ago..."

* * *

_I remember it like it was yesterday. It's the kind of event that you remember during your entire life..._

_ Hulrich Fiz, alone, wanted to impress Sonia Yalt, __soon to be__ Sonia Fiz, but, well, he __did not have__ enough money to do what he wanted __to do__. So he told me that he wanted to borrow some money to someone out of the 1__st__ Class Citizens because he feared for his reputation. But I warned him, __I told him __not __to do__ that because things were going to go wrong, for me, if __he __would have done that... But that imbecile didn't listen to me! So he went to the 3__rd__ Class zone... and did what he was planning to do!_

_ I knew that it happened when I saw him __finally__ married with Sonia some weeks later. I was invited to his wedding and that was during that happy event that Hulrich told me the truth, told me what he did... He borrowed money to the Ghort Gang, a gang that I remember I studied __to__ writ__e__ one of my stories. It was linked to a closed case on a certain Money Bag that beautifu__l__ly scammed them and went close to death on that case. I remarked that this bear didn't stop his business since those problems he had, eh!_

_ Anyway, when I knew with who he passed a deal, I knew what kind of trouble he was getting in... And, by Ember, I found myself in front of a choice... I knew he wouldn't pay his debts, he was too lazy for that, so I hesitated between helping him directly or doing nothing, like everybody that was around us... you know, 1__st__ Class Citizens in general... And because he was a close friend of mine, well... I chose the right thing to do._

_ So, before he got into more troubles, I decided to meet that gang to pay them. Frey accompanied me during these events. Even if I begged her to stay away from that case, she knew the right arguments with me... and she always know them, unfortunately or, I shall say, fortunately for me._

_ I met the gang during one of their bad days. One of their big bad days because they were at war with an other group and I was stuck in a bloody battle. I did pay them but, when the battle began, I accidentally... killed the gang head. What! It was self defence! Indeed, he tried to kill me and my wife for "stealing, after that, all the money"._

_ Shortly before the battle ended, we ran away but we saw something strange... The Gang Head's wife, after her husband was killed, ran away to a room. And that was strange because they told us that she never left a battle until it's finished. So we followed her... It was the only way out, anyway._

_ We ran in a long corridor and... and we found a room where the dragoness was next to a bed, holding a knife up... ready to kill a one year old baby dragon. I think you guess who he was..._

_ I rushed and hit her to save the child and succeed. She yelled that it was her son and she had every rights on him... Frey asked her why she tried to do that and she answered that, now that she lost her husband, she lost everything she lived for and decided to "erase" the baby she had with him..._

_ She tried again right after that but... but I hit her again with, I think, the greatest strength I ever had in my entire life, just as the biggest hatred too. And I made her unconscious. Frey took the baby to protect him from his mad mother and we continued to fly away from this place._

_ But, you know, "__u__nconscious" doesn't mean "dead" so she began to search __for__ us. And she did... she found us and infiltrated our house to kill us and the baby. I assure you that, when I was in front of her, I saw madness into her eyes... I saw hell fires into her eyes... and, you know the expression: the eyes are the soul's mirror. Thankfu__l__ly, the front neighbo__u__rs that just __moved in__, the Fiz, went to our home and helped us to stop her after calling the police. They blocked her, she couldn't move. And the police came and arrested her. She was judged crazy and imprisoned in an asylum._

_ For the baby... well... we were in front of a choice: putting him in an orphanage or keeping him. I think you know which choice we made... We thought, at this moment, that Frey was sterile so that consolidated our choice to keep him and to raise him..._

* * *

"Now you know the story... And now... And now, he is dead... Why... Why..."

"And the Gang Head's wife... you didn't said her name... Is she still imprisoned?"

"No, she got out. She was released as _cured_, as they said. Oh! And her name is Gloria Tremorth, wife of the dead Yalto Tremorth."

"She kept her husband name?"

"As far as I know, yes."

So Qualt continued to write in his notebook the informations he found.

"And, how can I know if you're telling the truth?"

"You think I would have lied about killing someone and lied about a closed case where even the culprit admitted everything?"

"Yeah... Point for you. Other information I would like to have, Miss Gald..."

"Yes?"

"I've heard about your relationship with Merth Altherio... How is it? Do you have any information on him that can possibly helps me?"

"If you think that he would have engaged someone to kill my children, you don't know him. He is too coward even to try to engage an assassin. And, even if he could, you really think he would destroy the dragoness he needs for his job?"

"Yeah... true... Well, thank you for your answers. I will ask the Fiz couple."

"Thank you for trying to catch that murderer."

"It's my job."

"Oh! Because I know the Fiz, I can help you to obtain their witness..."

"No, sir. I need to be alone with them so they can tell me _everything_. I am sorry to say you that."

"Oh... Okay, then. Wait a minute, I just see it now but, are you Ironhorns, the new 'survivor'?"

"Yes... I am surprised you know me, sir."

"Your story began to be a bit popular into the writers circle. And for many reasons. They love a good survivor and thrilling story... but some of them didn't like your vulgar language..."

"You didn't like too, I presume? Well, sorry for you, I won't chan..."

"No, no! At the opposite, I liked the vulgar language side... It wasn't so exaggerated and more realistic, as a real witness."

"I... see. I read books... but I am not a professional with all the theories, the writing parts, the style of somebody, bla bla bla..."

"Bah! Don't worry about that. I liked your style and felt the emotions in the written version of your story..."

"A _written version_!?"

"Yes. Somebody at the hospital copied everything."

"Oh... He could have asked me the permission, at least."

"Bah! Past is past and I still know what you endured during that horrible night.''

"Yeah... But, anyway, sir, I have to go, if that doesn't bother you..."

"No, not at all... Catch that murderer and make him pay for what he did!"

"Good bye, sir."

"Good bye, mister Ironhorns."

Then, he got out of the house and went to the front one's door. He was impressed for what he did until now for the job. Maybe it was because he read so many books about these kinds of stories... or maybe because he was used to killers and to the detective witness about their work.

But, now wasn't the moment to think about that... Well, yes, it was a little bit the right time to think about the "theories" he learned but, now, it was the time to continue to investigate.

So he knocked at the door...


	5. Chapter III : Hypocrisy

"Who's there?" answered a melodic voice.

"I am Qualt Ironhorns and I am here to ask you some questions?"

"What kind? And why us?"

"Because you live is in front of a crime scene."

There was a long silence before someone unlocked the door and opened it. That someone was a fresh blood red dragon. He was, I think you got it, the owner of the beautiful voice.

"A crime scene?"

"Yes. The Gald's children has been murdered this night."

"Oh..."

"Hulrich? Who is it?" said suddenly a deeper voice.

"It's a... It's a detective, Sonia."

"Detective? For what?"

"Your neighbour's children have their throat out of their body by surely a dragon or a dragoness, ma'am", answered Qualt. "And I am here to ask you some question about that night. Can I enter?"

"Oh! Yes! Yes! Please get in! May I give you something to eat or to drink?" said Hulrich.

"No, that will be good. I want it to be as quick as possible... but your witness as complete as possible."

"Oh... Okay, then…"

They moved to a big room, fully decorated. It was stinking vanity. But the atmosphere's smell was alright and quite relaxing. Once Qualt arrived, he finally saw Sonia Fiz. She was a white dragoness, as white as one of the two moons when she is full.

"So..." began Ironhorns after sitting down and getting his note book out. "What were you doing last night?"

The two looked at each other and, if dragons could blush, I assure you they would have been as red as Hulrich at this moment. No need for words, for that question. So Qualt wrote their... physical activity during that night.

"Right... So, if you were up that night, have you seen something... strange in front of your house? Like a dragon entering without a sound into the Gald's house?"

"Hmmm... Yeah, I think I saw something", answered Sonia.

"Oh? What?"

"I saw... Let me remember... Ah, yes, I have it: it was a draconic form but he or she was wearing dark clothes... He or she even had a hood on the head. The clothes were completely all over his or her body."

"Okay..." said Qualt in a low voice while noting the informations. "Other question, who do you think would have killed those children? Who, do you think, has reasons to do that kind of thing?"

"What do you mean?" answered the two.

"By knowing the Gald Family, do you think that, at least, one of them have enemies for what happened? And, if yes, who?"

"The children, I don't think... But, the two heads of the family, I think that they have more than they think. Those two are so gullible..." spat Hulrich.

"Gullible?"

"Yeah! Why do you think that they are considered as good persons and _friends with everybody_ in the zone. They are used by everybody!"

"Even you?"

"Yeah, and? I even don't need to ask him, sometimes!"

"Just like the thing that happened right after your wedding?"

"Yyyyyeeeeaaah... I see that he may have told you the story."

"Indeed."

"So, you see? He is naive and his wife is like him."

"I see... But, if they are used by everybody... why would their children be killed? It's not logical! Why would they kill children of dragons that help them?!"

"I don't know! I am only myself, not the others! If someone killed them, I don't know who and why!"

"I see... But, outside the zone, do you think that they have enemies?"

"Hmmm... I think I can see one or two."

"Ah? Tell me, then."

"First of all, you have this rival that Pold has in literature..."

"And what's his name?"

"I don't remember well... I think it is something like Ylt... Milt... Pilt... Dilt... Ah, yes, Dilt, I got it."

"Okay... And what's his full name?"

"I only remember Dilt."

"Oh..."

"But I don't think that it would be him: he is a pacifist and violence makes him sick, if I remember what they say."

"I see."

"Next, you have the lover of Frey."

"The... Oh, okay... So, what's..."

"He is even blind on what his wife does!"

"So... what's the name of this lover?"

"I don't remember..."

"Oh! You don't remember?" said Sonia. "But it's my brother Henry!"

"So... Henry Yalt... Okay. But do you think that he would have committed a crime like that? And why would he kill his mistress' children?"

"Because she broke up with him!"

"Broke up? She wasn't married at Pold?"

"Yeah, she was. But she broke up with him because she feared that he would discover their relation. So he went a bit mad that his mistress left him and might have killed the children."

"I see..."

"He is however the shame of my family so that won't be a surprise if he did it!"

"Anybody else?"

"Maybe the gang that he fought some years ago... after my wedding", he said.

"But why the children and not the parents? And why _now_?"

"Because, you know... sadism, psychological destruction... And why now? I don't know, they maybe had other things to do before! And maybe because it was kinda difficult to access here."

"But one of the two victims was the child of the Gang's Head Yalto and his wife Gloria Tremorth!"

"Yeah, and? His is not their Head anymore and her wife is still in a mad house!"

"Well... she was kinda out some days ago, so..."

"What?! They didn't lock her for life? I think that the mad house is definitely for the ones that let her out..."

"So you think she might have killed them?"

"Yeah, for revenge."

"But her child..."

"And what, her child? She is crazy and dangerous! She could have killed her son to finish what she began before getting interned!"

"Yeah... I see what kind of point of view you have..."

"It's not a point of view, it's only the truth!"

"Anyway... Others?"

"I don't think so..."

"Maybe one last..." she answered. "You know that mole with whom Frey's working? Merth Altherio?"

"Indeed, Miss Fiz. But Frey Gald assured me that he was too coward even to pay a mercenary to do the nasty job."

"That is what _they_ say!" she exclaimed. "I knew him since a very long time! He is my godfather, after all!"

"I see..."

"And, trust me, he maybe seems coward on the outside but it's a real crooked person inside, capable of doing everything to obtain his goal."

"Okay... So, if he is as crooked as you say, why would he kill the children of someone that he needs for his job?"

"Because, after what she did to him, I think I would probably took my revenge on her like what happened this night."

"And she did…?"

"Public humiliation."

"What? Killing only for that?"

"Don't under estimate the power of honour, here. In the 1st Class, the way we are seen by the others is really important and doing something like this is really serious!"

"Yeah... no. It's more like a thing that crazy peoples do, for me..."

"But he is crazy! I told you that he was a crooked person inside!"

"Yeah, maybe... It's funny how easily you're denouncing the members of your family, telling there are capable of doing that kind of murder..."

"Yeah, because I know them and because, even if it's my family, they are not me and, if they murder someone, it's their problem, not mine! And, if they murder someone, they are not what I call my family!"

_Yea__h__, but they probably didn't murder the children at all..._ he thought. He sighed and got up before saying:

"Well, thank you for answering my questions. I hope that you told me the truth about what you saw."

"I swear it!" swore Sonia.

"Okay... I trust you here, for the moment. Well. I say you goodbye."

"Farewell, sir!" answered Hulrich. "And good luck on this case."

And so, Qualt Ironhorns got out of the Fiz house to continue the job they gave him that day...


	6. Chapter IV : Fiction

There was so many things to see in the 1st Class Citizen's Zone. So many beautiful things, so many stories to hear, the tragedy behind a statue, the love story in front of a simple door, the murder into a random house.

Unfortunately, we won't focus on that. Qualt Ironhorns neither. But his job was to discover those stories. Especially the "murder" one. And, for that, it's a meticulous work where truth and lie cannot be separated, where those two are together like two great lovers in a bed, copulating to make children.

And one of those children is what we call "novel" or, her nickname, "fiction". Yeah, a perfect hybrid of the two and the favourite of the people.

And that thinking's way was very similar to what was in the mind of Dilt Orlath, the writer rival to Pold. And Qualt, after doing some researches and buying a book written by this guy (that he just read some extracts, "just to see if it's interesting"), was in front of that door where there probably was a love story (we don't know). But he was most of all in front of that door which was leading to the writer.

So he knocked at the door and waited.

Nobody came.

He knocked again.

Do I need to repeat myself?

And he hit the door with his fist, saying loudly:

"Mister Orlath! I want you to open me as I, Qualt Ironhorns, detective, have to ask you some questions... _a__nd it's not about your books!_"

Then the door made a noise that indicated she was being open. And, once it was made, an orange dragon stood up with a proud allure and a little smile on his face. And he had some sort of aura around him...

"So why did you came with a book of mine so?" he answered with a chuckle.

"Sorry but I'm not here to laugh. I'm here for a murder."

"The Gald's children?"

"Yeah. How do you..."

"You're in the 1st Class Citizen's Zone, here, my dear. The news travel fast. But, yes, enter. I prepared some coffee. I knew they would send someone to interrogate me."

"And how did you know?" he said while entering.

"I'm the rival of the father. And everybody knows that rivals are the worst kind of person, isn't it? But they can't understand that a rival in literature isn't the same as a rival in real life and that we actually are friendly when we met each other with Pold. Oh! And, before you try to ask me questions, I promise you that I didn't kill the children. I was in my bed when it happened."

"Yeah, no doubt about it. I've heard that you are a great pacifist."

"Yes I am, indeed."

"But, in your books..."

"Yes, I know, you have very visceral and bloody descriptions of violent actions, very precise ways to kill somebody and I try to see why they do that and try to show that a murderer can be everybody, even the helpers for the elders and the youngest ones. And that's why I'm a pacifist: I write on violence to prevent the others of what might happens. Unfortunately, some don't understand this and try to make me say what I didn't say, try to mock me and, worst of all, reproduce like a flock of sheep and bastards what I wrote."

"Yeah, I can understand..."

Finally, the coffee was on the table. The book of the writer too. And the notebook was right next to Qualt, where he could wrote easily.

"So, because you probably have questions, what are those?"

"First of all, Mister Orlath, can you tell me what you know about the victims."

"Everything. I have ears and I know how to use them. And that is important in Warfang. I know the relation between Frey and Henry, the story told by Pold, which I don't know if everything in there is true or not, you should check, and I know for Merth. But, for the murder's case, I probably don't know much more than you. You're making a good job by interrogating me but I think that you're wasting your time by doing it."

"And why do you say that? You have something to hide?"

"I have tons of things to hide, just like everybody. You have too. And sometime, we hide it to ourselves."

"Yeah, no shit. But you understood me. So tell me what I want to know."

"What? I'm just helping you?"

"I'm talking about _the case_! Tell me everything you know about it. Oh, and don't try to fool me on what you'll say. Because I have the Warfang Police behind me here and, if you lie to me and I discover it, you can have some serious problems."

Dilt Orlath got up with a confident smile on his face after drinking his coffee one shot. Then, he took a feather, put the pick in black ink and said:

"I don't know everything. I didn't hear so many rumours and gossips to tell you. It's not my job to collect them, after all. It's yours. So I helped you the most that I could. Now, don't waste more time with me. It's been fun to discuss with you but, unfortunately, you have a job to do. And you have a criminal to stop."

He took the book, opened the first page, grabbed the feather and then wrote something before finishing:

"So go interrogate the others. You will maybe find interesting informations about what you're searching. Oh! And, free autograph for you. I just signed your book."

_Vain asshole_, though Qualt right at this moment.

"Anyway", added the writer, "I've read your story."

"Oh, you received one copy of my story too."

"Indeed."

Then, Ironhorns took the book and opened the first page to see this:

_From Dilt Orlath_

_to a great storyteller_

_Mister Qualt Ironhorns_

_**D.O. what you like**_

He looked up to the writer, who was at this moment leaving the room slowly, a visible smile on his face.

"You know, I think that literature has a great power, that it can change the way people act... It's literature that changes us, that makes us act how we act. By describing some unreal things about the characters' logic, those illogical things become more and more logical in the way that some people think. If the entire literature describes an asshole as a hero, then the good ways to act in the civilization will be to act like an asshole, even if, the first time, those books will make great scandals. Anyway, I still have things to do. So farewell, Mister Ironhorns. May your case be solved as quick as possible and our next encounter in better auspices."

And Qualt was suddenly alone. He got up and got out of the house... because it wasn't his own house. That made him think that he had to return in his house after that. _No place like home_, he was impatient to say. Thankfully, he wasn't too hasty about it. That could have changed some things about his work skills for the day.

Otherwise, he didn't have so many good informations during this discussion. But it left some marks in him because of the atmosphere there was in the room they talked. He had no regret stopping in front of that house, even if he knew that Dilt wasn't the murderer.

But why did he stop in front of that house?

It was on his way to the 3rd Class Citizen's Zone. And, in that kind of situation, there is no such thing as too much informations, even if they are useless.

So he took a great inspiration and finally went in direction of the Zone where the clues he would maybe find would be very interesting...


	7. Chapter V : Reality

Here, reader, I want to stop the time for a while, and pause the story so. Why that? Just to take your eyes and put them in the 3rd Class Citizen's Zone.

First of all, the citizens are _not_ always citizens, here. Indeed, some are just poor refugees that didn't ask anything to the world but yet had some not-so-great-to-ear answers. And others are just persons which war destroyed the entire life and family. So, because they have to live, they do some really unpaid job.

As for example that little cheetah. Imnar, for his name. Grey and brown is his dirty and dusty fur. In his weak hands is a heavy pickaxe. As you understood, he is a minor. And he's minor too. His parents, dead a week ago, left him some money but not enough for him to get out of this shit. So he has to work. And, when he sees ores like coal, he just imagines that it's the head of the other Class Citizen's members, as he'll always remember the pain they don't have. So, with all his non-existent strength, he hits the ore, imagining this with a flow of blood, of gore. And he dream to get out of here and to answer the world with his rebellious mind.

Too bad he's not gonna be in the story I am telling.

He will, indeed, die the next morning. His lungs are too weak for his hard life and the exhausting work he does, instead of making him stronger, kills him little by little, each pick of the pickaxe ringing like the bells of the Eternal Sleep.

I am, I will be honest, surprised that no revolution was made. Especially with the recent attack on Warfang that made the 2nd and 1st Class more weaker than ever. Yeah, I'm surprised they didn't already Germinaled all this shit. They have weapons, after all, and a pickaxe can be really deadly. And they have some really good techniques to be silent and to kill too.

Minors are indeed a minority in the workers of the 3rd Class Citizen's Zone.

You have tons of jobs in that zone. Dangerous works, most of the time. Really dangerous. And the fact that the zone is as clear as a dystopian country doesn't help at all for making the it safe.

To give some examples of jobs you can take in there, you have the mercenaries, the thieves, the barmen, the prostitutes (male and female), the killers, the beggars (that's a real job in there. And god damn it's exhausting!). And all are as dangerous as the other.

You even have some artists and poets.

Yes, you have read well. Artists and poets. They are essential everywhere. And some of their works are just unknown masterpieces. Yeah, some poets made beautiful works, that made cry everybody who listened to that (even the "worst criminals" because, you know, they are normal peeps too and have some really strong emotions as love too). Some painters transformed the life of lots of poor workers by offering their talents to make them happy. And you even have some dragons which Shakespeare himself would be proud of, if he was in this world.

And, all of these people are kinda lost in their life, they don't know what to do next. They just try to survive. And, then, they lose everything they believe in life. So you have suicides and murders, blood and tears. But those persons can be rich on the inside. And some can be really kind and even intelligent. And that kind of person is the light that shines in the eternal darkness of that zone.

After all, "_even in the darkest of time, there is always hope._"

* * *

But, after all of that, I'm sure, reader, that you want to know what follows in the Qualt's story. So, here we are.

Ironhorns was in the middle of the Zone. It was kinda easy for him to enter and to move in there because of his look: iron horns, bandages, blood, a grumpy face, strong language…

He looked like he was a real survivor!

Oh, and, why the grumpy face and the strong language? Well, it was raining and the weather wasn't clear. And, I think you guessed too, but, because of the rain, of the ground's heat get outside, as the smells too.

"I guess I'm gonna need some other fucking bandages after that..." mumbled Qualt.

As he was here, he was searching Gloria Tremorth because he had some questions about all of what's happening. And, because of his physical abilities, some persons feared him and answered his questions.

After questioning her, he was planing to go seeing the mole with the potential informations on the one he called Myst.

With all he collected, he knew where to find her. She was in a tavern called _The Fire Demon_, working in it for a job that would pay the food. But, those last times, she wasn't here the night and she wasn't really joyful. Well, she never really was joyful so...

Anyway, her skills at the work she quickly found were now lower than ever and she even cried while doing the job. She was so low in her skills that she even had to refund. She even had to make some things free.

So, with some questions and hypothesis and her job, he went to the tavern.

Once he entered, all was noisy. The barman, a simple cheetah, was filling glasses with alcohols, that sweet drink that was the hope of some desperate persons here. Qualt commanded a beer and asked where was Gloria.

With a sign of the head, he indicated the back of the tavern, close to the stairs. And, at the same time, he gave the glass to the ice dragon.

He drank one shot and went to the direction of a beautiful dragoness that had the same age as him. She was next to a male mole, a female cheetah and another dragon, male this time.

"Gloria Tremorth?" Qualt asked.

Saying Gloria was hard for him. The memory of his dead sister was always fresh in his mind, after all.

The red dragoness looked at him and her eyes moved to the others persons next to her. She sighed and said with an artificial smile:

"Follow me. Some privacy will be better."

And she took the paw of the detective to go to the other roof and brought him in a free room, with a dusty bed and some wooden furniture. She closed the door behind Qualt, closed the window and got on the bed with a sexy pose, looking in the eyes of the ice dragon.

"Come at me, you sexy beast!" she exclaimed.

He approached and sat right next to her before saying in a sigh:

"Look... I'm not here for that."

She had an interrogative yet sad look on her face.

"I'm here to ask you some questions."

Then, something changed in her eyes.

"It's about the last night's murder in the Gald's hou..." he completed before...

She jumped on him with a sudden aggressiveness! When she hit him on the chest, he groaned with pain!

Then, she began to run in direction of the window, ready to break the wall!

But, when she jumped, she got hurt by a massive form and flew to the ground! The detective denied her flight attempt.

She got up quickly and stood up while Qualt run on her! She moved on her right and blocked the attack of her opponent!

"I'm not here to fight!" said between his teeth the blue dragon. "I'm just here for answers!"

"So why are you here if it's not to arrest me!"

After a battle of pure strength, she putted the detective on the ground, her claws high in the air, ready to strike in a bloody way! Qualt gave up.

"Kill me if you want... But I'm not here to arrest you. I'm just here to do my job."

"I have _nothing_ to do with all of these!"

"So why did you attack me if you have nothing to do with that case?"

Her breath was jerky and her posture paralysed. There was a long silence before tears came in her eyes. Then a trembling sob.

She got out of Qualt and fell once she was close to a wall. She loudly cried.

"He was my only son..."

He came closer.

"He was my only son and now... now he is dead..."

"So you were at the Gald's house last night."

He recieved no answer because she was crying. He putted one of his paws on her shoulder.

"Please. Answer me."

"Y... Yes, I was at the house, wearing black clothes to not be seen. It was the second time this week..."

"Why that?"

"Because he was my son! I fucking loved him even if I didn't see him growing up... I... I went to their house to see my son sleeping, to see him being happy... After years in an asylum, he was my only light of hope, he was my reason to live, to see him live happily."

She turned the head in his direction and, then, got up to sit down right after.

"I did not kill him! I did _not_ kill him!"

He sat down right in front of her. He knew what kind of grieve it was. And he knew how to react with that. So, he stood calm and took a reassuring voice.

"Tell me what happened to you. Tell me everything that happened after you got out of the asylum..."

Her eyes were wet and her voice still trembling. So she began and she wasn't cut while she was telling...

* * *

_You want to know what happened to me after I g__o__t out of this fucking asylum? Alright, I'll tell you!_

_ First of all, I was thrown away from that mad house because they did not have enough places left. So they threw me like a garbage while saying to the other that I was "cured" from my "madness"._

_ I went to the District, trying to go back to my home, where I lived before my husband was brutally killed by those motherfuckers! Where was my gang, my group, my family..._

_ But, once I was back... They... They saw me and, then, they just yelled at me, saying that I hadn't my place with them anymore... They even tried to rape me because my husband wasn't here anymore and because I was a dragoness like another, a victim to add in their list._

_ And you know what's the worst in all of that?_

_ It's that they did rape me..._

_ Then, it was like with the asylum: I was thrown like a garbage..._

_ I was alone, so... I had to eat, to find somewhere to sleep, to protect me from the outside's weather and the cold. I so had a close friend that told me that his job was a bit humiliating but that it was paying well enough for having what I wanted._

_ That's why I'm here, working at giving to dragons and dragonesses some pleasure. There even was some of my colleague that did have to do it with other species that their own..._

_ And so, when I had enough money, I bought the dark cloth and wanted to see my son in secret during the night._

_ "No, don't go during that time!" said my boss. "It's the moment where all the best clients are."_

_ But I did not listen. Even if I had less money, I wanted to see my son._

_ And oh the joy that was in me when I saw him, sleeping with a quiet smile and breath, growing up in a good house and a rich family, even if their members are fucking assholes __who__ stole my baby and accused me of infanticide attempt. They just did not wanted their image to be spoiled with a kidnapping affair, because _it was a kidnapping_, I swear it on... on whatever can be dear for me now. Those assholes just killed my husband after ste__a__ling him and, then, they just took from me the baby that I wanted to protect... They said I tried to kill him with a knife but it's false... It's _false_! Lies! All _lies_!_

_ So... So I went to see him, just for some minutes or even seconds. Just to see him once again after all I endured those last years. At least, he was happy and lived a good life, I just said to me that whole time..._

_ Then, I don't know... But I got one day the feeling that I had to see him again, to watch after him._

_ I had a bad feeling. The feeling that something really horrible was going to happen._

_ So I took my clothe and went as quick as possible to the Gald's house during the last night... And, when I arrived..._

_ When I arrived..._

_ He was lying in the bed, dead and on his blood. I remember the horrible smell in the room…_

_ I wanted to cry, to yell... I wanted to puke too... But I couldn't. I tried to yell but nothing came. And it was for the best. It wasn't my house, after all. And I was in front of a dead body. My son's dead body. And I was, after years in an asylum, described as "mad" and "dangerous"._

_ So, with silence, I ran away from the house. And it was when I was back here that I cried..._

* * *

She took Qualt and sobbed on his shoulder. She had enough with all this shit. She couldn't hold it anymore.

"Please find the bastard who did that and make him fucking pay for what he did! Make him fucking suffer!"

He let her hug him while she was crying. She reminded him of his sister so it was like a duty to protect persons like her, even if she was really different from the other Gloria.

As for her... she missed that masculine presence right next to her, very close. She missed that physical hold from a man, even with the job she had. Sure she had to make hugs to some dragons but, here, it was different. It wasn't to play nice and sexy, to give pleasure to the other. No. Here, it was to find a hot spot, somewhere to be lost, to hold when everything is dark around.

It was a sincere hug. From both of them. But for different reasons.

"I promise", he said in a whisper. "I promise I will avenge your son. I have lost all my family too... I know exactly how you feel."

"Thank you... Thank you very much..."

There was a long silence. A very long silence that both of the two needed after all they've been through.

Then a terrifying sound was made in the other roof, down there. And yells could be heard.

"Where is Gloria!" said a mysterious and grave voice. "Where's that bitch with that fucking detective!"

"Oh shit..." she said, terrified. "It's the Gang..."


	8. Chapter VI : The Gang

"The Gang?" whispered Qualt.

"Yeah, the Ghort Gang, the one where I was before", she said while getting out quickly from the blue dragon. "Oh shit..."

She ran to the door and place her head on it to ear.

"They're approaching..."

"What the... Why are they here for you? And how do they know I'm a _detective_?!" he asked in a low voice.

"We maybe are in the Distric and we maybe are all poor people but, when someone enter the District and we don't know who he is, some will try to learn the maximum they can about him. Especially the Gang and especially in that part of the District. We learned our lesson since that prick hustling bear came here."

"Money Bag?"

"Yeah, something like that. Plus the two motherfuckers who kidnapped my son."

"Oh! And, why especially that part of..."

"Ssssh! They are getting closer. No... more... sound..."

There was a long silence which wasn't respected by the footsteps that were getting closer and closer...

"Oh Gloooria! Where aaaare you?"

Her eyes shined with tears of silent terror. But no sound was made. And she slowly walked backward. She knew that he would break the door if it's not open.

"Hide!" she whispered to Qualt. "Hide!"

"There's nowhere to hide!"

"Shit!"

Qualt looked at the window and...

"They will wait you down there, you know?" she said.

He sighed.

Both knew they were trap. Both knew there was no way out. And both prepared themselves to fight while looking at the door.

Silence came... Only breathes could be heard from the other side of the entrance of the room...

They were here...

They were here and they were preparing themselves too...

And suddenly the door flew away in multiple shards!

Now, at the entrance's hole was a green powerful dragon, followed by multiples guys from different species. And they were too many for Qualt and Gloria to really fight back.

The green was the owner of the voice. He had eyes like his scales. His horns were brown like pure dirt. And his face was impressive yet beautiful at the same time.

"Gloria... What is the rule, here?" he asked slowly while walking in their direction.

A big horny and scaly biped furious creature walked in, a sword at his right hand. Two teeth were very visible and out from his twisted mouth. And he had enough muscles to punch easily a dragon in the face.

And that's what he did to Qualt.

Indeed, while Ironhorns try to hit him, he dodged and gave an uppercut to the blue detective. After that, he putted the sword under the throat of his victim.

"You, don't move. Or you'll be drowning in your own blood", he said with an imposing voice.

"Gloria, answer me!" ordered the green dragon.

"Troth, I promise, I..."

"What... is... the... _rule_!"

He was now closer than ever to the red dragoness, whose the head was now in direction of the ground. She mumbled something incomprehensible.

"Repeat!" said loudly Troth.

"No detective in that part of the District..."

He took her by the throat and putted her head in direction of Qualt while saying:

"So why the fuck is he here with you!" he yelled before throwing her.

"Well, you know that I'm a prostitute and..."

"No, don't play fool with us. He is a detective and he comes from the Galds! Ya remember the last time the Galds were placing their interest in us? Ya remember what happened?"

She stood silent.

"_Ya remember!_"

"How the fuck do you know I'm a detective and that I come from them?" asked Qualt before the sword approached closer than ever near his throat to make him remember to shut the fuck up.

So Troth turned the head in his direction and came closer to him.

"How do we know? We have some 'spies' in the other zones. We have beggars and normal walkers, who walk around and hear whatever can be interesting. Especially when it's about the Warfang Police and especially when it concerns someone new in _our _part of the District. So we heard that you were the new one. And we saw that you came from the Galds, _Ironhorn__s_."

"So you're like a mafia."

"Yeah... but no. We are a gang. And it's way different. A mafia is hustling everywhere and is rich, a gang just survives and protects his territory. And you... You can be dangerous for our territory."

"And why I..."

"Shut the fuck up, you!" exclaimed the swordkeeper.

"No, Melt, it's okay, he can talk. But, you, if you move, you know what will happen..."

"The sweet bloody smile. I know this shit."

"So, if you know this shit, survive."

_I didn't move from the start, anyway_, he thought.

"Plus", he added, "you know that the Police is way too scared to come here if we kill you. You're not a 1st Class, after all."

"Yeah, I guessed that."

"But, tell me... We know that you comes from the Galds... but we don't know why. Tell me."

He opened his mouth but Gloria answered first:

"He came... He came for me."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah…"

"And why that? I'm curious? Did you came here to arrest her? The Galds pissed themselves so much they are sending someone to stop her before she does a move?"

"No", answered Qualt. "I'm here for informations. And I got them."

"Informations, you say? What kind!"

"Gloria was one of my suspect. But she isn't anymore."

"And what happened that made her suspect?"

"My... My son is dead tonight, Troth. He was murder while he was sleeping..."

"The Galds children were murdered last night in their sleep. Their throat has been violently slashed."

"What?!"

"Yes, Troth... I saw him... I saw him while wanting to see him last night. I wanted to see him and..."

"So that's why you got out of the District last night..."

His voice changed suddenly. It swapped from an impressive to a concerned and quite sad voice.

"Fuck..." he swore. "Your son was gonna grow up a cunt but he did not deserve that. Not at that age."

"Yeah, he finally was in a quite safe zone but... but he died..." she said.

"Now that you know why I'm here, what you're gonna do?" asked with anger and impatience Qualt.

"You, show respect!" ordered Melt.

"Melt, take back your sword. It's maybe a detective but he's here to avenge the Yalto's son. And, you, Ironhorns, after you'll have all your informations, get out of here. And _never_ come back. I like your look, I don't want to kill you."

"Yeah, outside the city can be pretty dangerous. Especially when you're in front of a fucking darker", he said while putting his front right paw on his neck, now that the sword was off of it. "And, don't worry. Normally, I have just one more person to see in this Zone and, after that, I'm getting the fuck out of here."

"Good. Guys, we have nothing left to do. We're getting back home."

So they all left the room, leaving the two alone.

Qualt finally got up and came closer to Gloria, saying:

"So that's the new Gang's Head?"

"Indeed."

"What the fuck is wrong with him?"

"Too many things."

"Oh, and they reacted in a better way when they heard the death of the son of their ancient boss than the comeback of his wife."

"Yeah... Dragonesses don't have the easiest life in this gang... nor receive the most respect."

"I see..."

She sighed and got on the bed.

"By the way, who is the next person you're gonna see?"

"A mole."

"Oh! Can I come with you? No way I'm gonna do nothing while my son's murderer is still free!"

"It's not for your son that I'm gonna see him."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, I planed to see him if he isn't so far from here. And it's for having infos on one specific darker."

"Oh. And why only one of them."

He smiled and took a nosy voice:

"Do you know how I get these scars?"

She smiled a bit too.

"No, I don't know. And I would like to know."

So he told him what happened in the forest, not insisting in every details this time.

"Oh..." she said. "That's horrible..."

"Yes indeed."

"So your sister was also named Gloria... Funny."

"Yeah... Yeah... So, the mole I want to see is called Doug Harmot. Do you know him?"

"Not at all."

"Oh, okay then..."

"But that doesn't change the fact that I'm coming with you!"

"You know that you don't have the rights to..."

"Fuck... the... _rules_!"

"Well, at least it's clear."

"And it's not a question nor a proposition! I'm coming with you! I want to get out of here too. At least for a moment."

"Okay, okay, got it, got it!"

She got out of the bed and said:

"No time to lose, so. I want that bastard who killed my son as quick as possible!"

"And what do we do for that door?"

"The Ghort Gang will pay. They maybe are dangerous and can kill some persons but they are honest and cool with the workers of the District."

And, as she passed the "door", Qualt followed her after thinking:

_She has some sweet ass._

"Hey! Wait for me! I'm the detective!"

So, those two, when they finally got outside, the weather always as rainy, began to search for Doug Harmot.

After few questions and few answered, they knew that he wasn't, indeed, so far away from their position...


	9. Chapter VII : Myst

They were walking in the middle of the street, looked by the others with different feeling: pain, anger, envy, sadness. But no one dared to approach them and so the common life continued in the District.

As a play was made, laughs came. It was a satirical comedy which was making fun of death and, the most of all, of politic. A grumpy old cheetah threw a metallic object, saying that it wasn't a subject to laugh at, and missed the principal actor, and a little mole looked at them with stars in his eyes, but was taken back home by his mother, saying that he was too young for that and that theatre wasn't the right things to do, that it's not a real work and that she was hoping that he would do better than them when he would be an adult.

Joy and sadness, calm and anger. Everything was in that crowd in front of the scene.

That's what they saw while walking in the middle of the street. And they looked like an old but not odd couple.

Gloria was happy with that. She knew what the others would think by walking right next to Qualt like that, so she walked like she was his wife. It was a way to be "protected", to not be touched by the others. And everybody knew that, if you touch one scale of an imposing dragon's wife here, you have large chances to be discovered dead the next morning. She knew that by experience with Yalto.

And thankfully, she warned Qualt for that attitude and why she was doing that, even if she hid the fact that she was really enjoying this because it's been far too long she hasn't done that with someone and because, well, she missed her ancient husband.

Qualt, him, was kinda neutral with that, even if he asked himself multiple questions: _How will the Galds react when they will see Gloria next to me? Because I have some questions to ask them. Several serious questions. How my boss will react when he will know about Gloria? What will _she _do after that? __B__ecause she will probably be fired! And how Doug can know about the __d__arker? Plus, how can my boss know him?_

As you understood, he didn't really chill during that walk. The opposite.

Thankfully, one question didn't tormented him during that time: _Wher__e__ does he live?_

Indeed, they knew the answer for that. And they were just one or two miles away from him. They just had to walk straight forward. So, during that, they were talking and were looking around.

There were multiple stands, with good or less good things sold. Some looked happy, even with the flawless rain, because they did something really impressive: they bought something for themselves, something that they actually liked and even was useless. A child was happy with a book in his paws while his mother looked at him with a sad smile. And, next to that, there was another child that was sadly looking at all the merchandise with envy.

Finally, they arrived at the address.

Qualt knocked at the door and a voice answered:

"Who's there?"

Fortunately for you, reader, it won't be a knock-knock joke.

"I am Qualt Ironhorns and I would like to ask you some questions."

"Questions? About what?"

"About... About a specific darker."

A silence began before an old mole with only one eye left unlocked the door.

"Oh, you are two."

"Yes."

"Enter."

And they penetrated the little and dusty house, which light was almost absent if a torch wasn't here.

"Where do you come from? What's your job? And, most important..." he said before taking a whispering voice. "How do you know about me?"

"I'm a detective from the Warfang Police..."

"Always the Police that sends persons to me for infos about that. I guess you're here thanks to Foudre."

"Yes. How do you know him?"

"Long story. And, the dragoness here? What's your name and where do you come from?"

"My name is Gloria and I am from here."

"Oh! What's your job, my dear?"

"I'm a... a... Pleasure giver."

"Oh! I see. And, you came for a darker too?"

"No. I just follow Qualt for a case."

"A case, eh?" he asked while turning the head to the blue dragon.

"Yeah. But, it has nothing to do with that darker."

"It's about the murder of my son..." added Gloria.

"Oh... All my condolences... Anyway, who is the darker you want to know more about?"

"Well, I don't know his name so I called him Myst."

"Myst?"

"Yeah. It's a darker who controls mist, who lives in the forest and even in caves and who pronounces only one word: _Kill_."

"Hmmm... It reminds me something... Wait here."

He got up and left the room for some minutes before coming back with three books.

He opened the first one and turn the pages before closing him, saying that it wasn't the right one. He opened an other in the middle and, after that, near the end.

"Ah! There!" he said after finding the right page, where there was lines of text and a detailed scheme of the Darker.

He read the page entirely.

A silence came for a minute or two before the mole exclaimed:

"Oh dang..."

"What?"

"Yes, I remember now. So you called him Myst. Interesting. But it's quite far from his real name."

"Which is...?"

"Usvork"

"And what do you remember for acting like that?"

"Well, I remember encountering him. And it gonna marks me for the eternity."

"What? Encounter him?"

"Yes. And I almost died. But, before I continue, why do you want to know more about _him_?"

"Do you see these iron horns and bandages on me?"

"Yes. Oh! You met him too?"

He answered positively and sadly with the head.

"I'm the only survivor from the five of my group."

"You are not lucky to have fallen on this darker. But, eh! It could have been worst! You could have encounter an alpha one, ah ah!"

But he stopped laughing when he saw that it wasn't funny _at all_ for Qualt. No. There was a very dark look on his face that was saying: _Stop fucking laugh or I swear I'm gonna make you suffer so much than you gonna plead me to kill you!_

Yeah, even if he liked making some humour to no fall into madness, that subject was too soon for him. It could have made him smile month later but not now. Now, he was just overreacting.

"Sooooo..." continued Doug, "this darker is dangerous, even if he isn't the most intelligent. He is intelligent, that's for sure, but it's the same level as a wild hunter animal. So he uses mist to lose his prey in confusion, for making it easier to kill. But the mist works only the night and his eyes are too sensible to light that the day scares him. So, if you are alive, it can be for two reasons: or the day came, or he took enough prey. So, you said you were five and that you are the only survivor?"

"Yes. But I followed him to kill him in his cave. I almost got killed but I made him run away from the cave."

"Oh, I see. Courageous or mad, I don't know how to describe this action."

Qualt sighed in front of that comment. Yeah, he almost got killed because he wanted to fight a Darker. He almost did the same thing as his dead son, without killing his enemy this time.

"Anyway! This darker learned only few words with what he hunted and, I fear it, what someone taught him."

"Another darker?"

"No... Another dragon."

"Wait what?"

"Yes, you understood me. Another dragon. But I'm not sure, so..."

"Wait! How can a dragon can teach something to a darker? A darker is the worst enemy of a dragon. They are even worst than apes when they were alive!"

"That, my dear, is a question to which I neither have the answer."

"And, after that, how do you know all of this! And, if you encountered him, you have been to the outside. So how can you possibly live here if you encountered him!"

He sighed.

"You want to know? Fine. I'll tell you but it's gonna be a quite long story."

And, as you understood, reader, a first person story will again be told...

* * *

_First of all, yes, I went outside the city. And I even went __illegally.__ But, well, I was discovered later by the Police and __especially__ by Foudre. But they didn't arrest me. It was my life and I was bringing them some precious informations... even if I had to bribe the first time. So they let me doing my thing. In exchange, I give them everything I know on the __d__arkers. And I stay here because I have some __tranquillity__: I won't have the 1__st__ nor the 2__nd__ Class to annoy me in my work._

_ Darkers are, for me, fascinating. They are so different, so strange, yet so similar to dragons: they are as savage as them, as killer as them, as idiot as them. So that's why I go outside the city: to explore and study. For myself at first, for the Police after. But, unfortunately, I don't know everything and lots of things are still to discover. And not every journey gives us informations. Sometime, it can take years to discover something. And, for that, trust me, you have to have some luck!_

_ Or maybe it's when you discover something that you are not lucky, for some. Look at your experience into those woods and your encounter with Usvork. You won't tell me it was luck._

_ Anyway, I always go outside alone. Yeah, even if it's really dangerous, I go outside alone with my stuff. But I will continue to do that, even if I lost an eye during an exploration and went close to death many time._

_ For Usvork, I remember that it was snowy when I went outside. And I went quite far into woods. It was really cold and I wished for a bit of warm. And that's when I found a little castle._

_ It was an old castle, that's for sure, and echoes were very present when I entered and asked for someone in there. But nobody ever answered my demands._

_ I lit up a torch and explored the castle. You had so much corridors that I even lost myself for a while. Just like if I was in the forest. And I soon discovered a room with a fireplace. I was lucky, there still were some woods. So I made a fire and got close to it. It was so relaxing, having some warm instead of the white and cold snow._

_ But it lasted only one hour because fog began to enter in the room. And suddenly, the fire wasn't warm anymore. It was like the snow. And then I heard the whisper in the mist:_

_ "Kill... Kill..."_

_ As you understood, it was Usvork._

_ The fire began to die as I searched in my bag something. Fear took me instantly._

_ I saw a dark form in the mist, which was now surrounding me. And that form was coming closer to me._

_ I grabbed something random in my bag, a metallic object that I immediately threw._

_ It made noises and was a perfect diversion. So I ran away from the room._

_ Began a game of Hide and Seek through the entire castle._

_ He was always silent and each apparition of him was terrific. But fortunately I could hide in time. Not always. I had to run when he discovered me one or two times._

_ And, when I had to go through a corridor... By every gods possible, my heart was beating loudly. I was scared. I feared his apparition in every corner, just like he was a deadly ghost._

_ As I walked forward, I turned at a corner and suddenly saw a blue dragon... walking like their was no danger._

_ I wanted to call him but I didn't because of the darker that was searching for me. So I turned back my head to see if something was here..._

_ And _he_ was here! He tried to slash my head and missed because I made a survival jump back. But he hit me... He, indeed, slashed my eye._

_ That's why I only have one left today._

_ And, after that, I ran away towards that blue dragon. It's maybe immoral to say that but I wanted to focus his attention on him so I could run away from this castle._

_ I rushed and took something randomly to throw it once I saw the dragon once again._

_ "Sorry", I whispered when I threw it into his direction and hid right after in a wardrobe._

_ I quickly saw the darker in front of me, running into the direction of the noise._

_ But no sound was made. Not even a yell nor a cry coming from the blue dragon._

_ And I was still bleeding from the wound he made to my eye. So I got out of my hiding spot and ran away._

_ I was lucky enough to find the exit, but unlucky to see that he was still behind me._

_ So began another game of Hide and Seek, into the woods this time. I went from cave to cave. And, because it was the night, I had to light another torch to see my way._

_ But I turned it off when I saw a group of cheetahs. The poor ones... They were hunted one by one by Usvork. And I saw and heard everything... That's when I knew what was his name when one of the cheetahs screamed while seeing the blood on the ground:_

_ "Usvork! It's Usvork!"_

_ After that, the darker was gone into his cave, taking his bloody dead preys with him. I was mad to follow him to study him..._

_ Once I was in his cave, oh the smell! Death was everywhere! And he quickly discovered me..._

_ I ran away again and went outside. But the mist was surrounding me in no time._

_ Just as him._

_ He jumped on me and didn't miss this time. He was on me when..._

_ When I was saved by the sun..._

_ When I was saved by a solar beam right into his eyes._

_ He groaned and ran away from me, going back in darkness, where he could see something._

_ I was thankful to everything at this moment. Thankful to be alive, even if I lost an eye._

_ And, when I got up, I saw the blue dragon in the distance, watching me like if I was something entertaining._

_ I didn't watch him in detail as I ran away from the forest as fast as I could..._

* * *

"So, here I am. And, the next days, I came back in this forest again to study this darker. And that's when I learned everything I know of him. I learned to be silent. I didn't want to get caught by this monster."

A silence followed everything. A silence which mixed admiration and disgust at the same time from Qualt to Doug.

"You know, you can hate me for what I did. I hate myself for that too..."

"Do you still go outside to study him?"

"What?"

"I said: do you still go outside to study him?"

"Yes, I understood, and yes, I still go outside to study him but, why that question?"

"When will you go out the next time to study him?"

"Well, it depends but why do you ask that?"

"I want to go outside too. After the case will be closed, I want to get out because I have something to finish with that fuck."

The mole sighed while Gloria said:

"What? And die this time for good? You're crazy?"

"I have no family left. Only me. And I want my revenge on him, even if I have to die!"

"Well", said Doug, "it's your life, after all. But you know that you'll have to have some money for that. And when I say _some_, I mean _a lot_!"

"Okay, do that if you want, detective, but finish that case first."

"That what I'll do, don't worry. And, for the money... Where can I possibly find some..."

"Why not the tournament?"

"The..."

"Yeah, underground tournaments. There's a lot to earn if you win. But it's dangerous, really dangerous."

"What kind of _dangerous_?"

"The kind of 'you die, you lose', sometime. It really depends who's your adversary."

"Oh..."

"And, depending on the day, you maybe can fight a darker in the finale..."

"Wait WHAT!"

"Yes, you understood me. So, if you want money, or you bet in those fights, like lots of 1st Class, or you fight in it, to win the jackpot."

There was a silence where Qual thought about all of that. He really wanted to kill that darker even if he had to die, so...

"Do what you want!" exclaimed Gloria. "It's not me who's gonna regret your death!"

"Hmmm... Yeah, I think that I can go in there. That would train me."

"Yeah... _train _you, if you think that you'll train yourself at dying."

"So, mister Harmot..."

"You can call me only Doug"

"Do we have a deal? I join you after the case is closed and you show me where are those tournaments and, if I win, I'll be in your company the next time you'll go outside the city to study that fucking darker?"

He thought some seconds and finally answered

"Deal."

"Fine. I'll see you again soon after the case will be finished, so."

"Goodbye, if you go, mister Ironhorns."

"Goodbye."

"Goodbye", added Gloria.

"And good night!" said the mole.

Indeed, when they got out of the house, the two moons already were shining bright in the dark sky.

And Qualt seriously had to have some rest if he would to continue correctly the case. So he said to Gloria:

"I'm going home, personally. Where will you sleep tonight?"

"On the couch?"

That answer took him by surprise. He didn't mean that she would sleep in his home but... Meh! He would go through and it would be more fast the next morning if she was directly here. Two heads are better than one, after all.

"Okay, you're sleeping in my home."

So they passed the exit of the District and went into the direction of the Qualt's home to have a good rest...


	10. Chapter VIII : Light

Gloria was laying on a bed in the guest room, crying in silence, trying to sleep but failing because it was the first night she was going to spend without her son alive in this world, while, in the main room, was Qualt thinking of this case in front of the window, his notebook right next to him and under the light. He needed rest, yes, but that affair didn't stop yelling in his head. He questioned every details and he turned the problem so much in every sense that he could have some nausea.

For him, only two suspects remained, even if more could be add to the list in the future: Merth and Henry. But, even here, he doubted about that. The Fizs where such hypocrites and Henry, the "shame of their family", could be a good guy but a shame for this hypocrite and overreacting couple and maybe entire family. And for Merth too, maybe. But, the answers to his hypothesis, he only was going to have them after some interrogation.

He read once again his notebook, desperately searching for any clue that could lead him to the possible culprit... But nothing. Nothing at all.

So he sighed and turn his head into the direction of the guest room, where Gloria was.

Gloria... Gloria... He thought about his sister and her horrible death. He remember the glimmer of hope he had... and the destruction of it when the darker killed her in front of his eyes. Now that he was alone, he didn't care about losing his life while fighting that killer. He wanted revenge, no matter what he had to do.

Then he thought about the Gloria in his house...

And then he realized that she was now all alone too... And that she was like that for some years, her hopes destroyed when she was out of the madhouse and when she saw the dead body of her son...

They were two lonely and tragic souls, wanting for revenge because of the loss the world made them have.

He turned again in direction of the window, watching with eager the sky. He stood silent for a moment.

And when, a few minutes after, Gloria woke up during that night, not capable of finding any sleep, tears were on his cheeks. She saw them when she came close to him to watch the sky.

They stood silent for a long moment, close to each other.

So close that their shoulders were touching.

And then, suddenly, she putted the side of her head on Qualt, wanting a bit of heath from another dragon, not controlling her gesture.

But that didn't bother the blue dragon, whose wing enveloped the red dragoness and whose head did the same as her.

Sadness can make peoples do lots of things. But, after all...

They were two lonely and tragic souls, searching for someone who could be a light into darkness, wanting some heath to the cold, something to grab to avoid falling into a dangerous void.

So they stood like that for a few minutes. Long minutes. They didn't talk, appreciating that moment that was becoming more and more close, intimate.

And, finally, they went to bed...

They went to the same bed.


	11. Chapter IX : Anger

He woke up with a very warm feeling. And, to be honest, he really needed that. Just as her. So, as he opened his eyes, the solar beams striking on him, he saw that they were still embracing, grabbing each other. They weren't alone anymore. That made him smile. He got up silently and went to the window.

The usual noises were present as the City was now up, alive and deadly. He sighed: he had to get back to work, trying to solve this case where hypocrisy was omnipresent. And he wasn't a true Sherlock to resolve it quickly and easily! No, he was just a random dragon that was trying to live his life. But, you know, for some, it wasn't the case at all.

And, strangely enough, he didn't want that with all he had in his life.

He turned back and took his stuff to continue what he had to do, planing to see Merth and Henry, in this order. Why that? Because Merth was the closer. And he was hoping that one of the two was the culprit because he had enough with this shit! Then, he looked at his room and especially at the bed to see that... nobody was on it.

"You though you would go without me? Especially for this?"

His eyes went up with a sigh.

"Yes, I though."

She went right next to him and responded:

"Well, you're wrong. And I'm still coming with you on that case."

"Yeah. But did you think of what they will say while seeing you?"

"Who?"

"Well, the Galds!"

"Oh! They will say shit, as usual. And it will be funny."

"Not for me..."

"Oh, come on!"

"You're not helping for that work!"

"I'm good for pressure! If they don't tell the truth, you just let the crazy lady on them! It's gonna be a good way to say hello."

He groaned and opened the door as she smiled. It's not like he had the choice, after all!

* * *

They quickly arrived at a big house where, at the entrance, was written in a golden square:

_**Doctor Merth Altherio**_

_**Available the entire week**_

_**except the night.**_

She knocked before Qualt. But, because nobody answered, he punched the door which made, he was sure, a resonance in the entire building.

"Who's there?" answered a sick voice which made Gloria open widely her eyes.

"Hello. Warfang Police, here," answered the blue dragon.

"What? The Police? Why are you here?"

"I just want to ask some questions."

"And about what? I am sick and it's not the week!... Oh! Wait, is it about the Galds?"

"Yes sir."

"Well I have nothing to do with it but, you know what?"

The door made a clicking sound and opened, letting be seen a hated mole with tired eyes and glasses on them.

"Enter and ask me your question."

"You..." suddenly said the dragoness, terrified.

The mole looked at her and replied:

"Oh, hello Gloria."

"What? You know each other?"

"You _bastard_!"

"And don't appreciate each other?"

Gloria turned her head towards Qualt and answered:

"I recognize that sick bastard from the madhouse! Didn't know his name..."

"Yes, and I'm sorry for what I've done to you", said the mole with coldness.

"No you're not!"

"Okay, so what happened? Plus, we are not here for that. We're here to know more about the Galds!"

"You want to know what happened? Ask _him_."

He turned his head at the mole, who replied after sighing:

"I made some experimentation on her for my studies. And thank you, Gloria, by the way, you brought me lots of informations."

"You _bastard_!"

"Okay!" said Qualt with a loud voice so he can be be heard. "We will talk about it later because, now, we have a murder to resolve! So, shut up about it and tell me everything you know about the Galds!"

"Okay, okay, I get it. Enter first."

So they entered. Where, in dramatic and very good books (or not), you would have a trap, like dragons waiting to hit them on the back of the head, here, it was normal and they entered without any problems. They even were installed comfortably. Although Gloria was boiling inside and retaining herself to not jump on Merth. But her look showed a fire that Dante would have loved to describe. They were surrounded by scientific schemes and alchemist materials and tons of notes with numbers and short sentences.

"So", began Qualt, "what do you know about the Galds. I've heard of a humiliation that Frey did to you. What was it?"

"Well, first of all, I know Frey from a long time and, yeah, what you've heard is true: I don't like them. Especially Frey. She has knowledges, I'm sure without a doubt and I need some of them for my work sometime, but she is _idiot_! She humiliated me, yeah, but it was because she was like a child right next to me, thinking that she was _the best_! What humiliated me is the fact that I really need her knowledge and she knows that so, well, she took the opportunity to say that very loud in public! And, if you want to know: no, I did not killed those children!"

"I hope for you it's true..." said Gloria with a calm and menacing voice. "One of the two was my son..."

"Yes, I know that. But I freaking loved them! They were the total opposite of their parents and I even had hopes for them! And, by the way, why would I kill a child! I know I can take some extreme ways to have what I want but, damn, I don't touch children! I have a limit!"

"Oh! And, about your _extreme_ ways, mister Altherio, you know that, if the Police knows..." replied Qualt.

"You're certainly new, ah ah! How do you think the Police will react when you say I have extreme ways? They will answer that they already know. And you know why they do nothing? Because I'm useful. And because I do my experiments on the ones which value is less than nothing..."

"Shut the fuck up!" suddenly yelled Gloria.

"Gloria, my dear, see the truth: you are a 3rd Class Citizen and your life has no value, here. You're just a number, just an object. They don't care about your life or your pain: for them, you are useless. You're even a weight. Especially when you've been in an asylum!"

Some smoke began to get out of the red dragoness nose as her claws were now out. And a roar could be heard as Qualt tried to calm her.

"But, for your case, I'm useless, I fear", said the mole. "Oh, and, before you go, just two things: first of all, go see Henry Yalt. He is a good guy and he maybe can give you useful informations on the family. And, finally, watch out for what the Galds can say. They are not as white as they pretend."

"I have not suspected that", said with sarcasm and between her teeth Gloria.

"So farewell, friends, and good luck on that case!"

"Gloria, we're getting out."

"Okay, thanks..." she answered with still lots of anger in her.

So they left without saying goodbye.

And when they were far enough from the house and seen by anybody, Gloria looked at Qualt and fell in tears, grabbing him to embrace him before letting her head on his shoulder.

So the blue dragon said nothing except this, in a quiet and calming voice:

"Shhh... It's over, now. It's over. You're with me and you're free."

And they kept that embrace for a moment…


	12. Chapter X : Madness

Believe me or not, but Qualt and Gloria were now in the District again. But they didn't see Henry before and they were here for a good reason.

But, first, a little contextualization imposes itself.

First of all, after Gloria calmed down onto the Qualt's arm, they went into the direction of the Henry's house. They knocked but nobody answered. They did it again. Silence again. Then, the neighbour arrived and said that Henry wasn't home, that he left the day before. They tried to know where but, lack of luck, he didn't know. At least, when they asked informations on what he looked like, they had answers...

Henry, with the descriptions they made of him, was a brown and even quite little dragon with red-dark horns, brown eyes and a nasal voice. His chest was, him, green-dark and his wings, them, were kinda big.

After that, they questioned where Henry could be to different persons and, because they are in the 1st Class Zone, they had that kind of answer:

"Oh! Him? I don't know! But I've heard that he ran into the District. Ah! That doesn't surprise me, coming from that dragon. He is always so pathetic!"

I think you understood, they sighed and came back to the District, leaving that overreacting culture of the 1st Class Zone. Too bad that they did not encounter the ones from that Zone that are kind, gentle, honest and not contemptible and contemptuous (because, believe me or not once again, this kind of person exists, even in the 1st Class and not everybody is a representation of a cliché... even if a lot constructed themselves with clichés).

So here they were, in the District, questioning where this dragon went. But, the thing was that they were in the area that was under the "control" of the Gang.

And they were impatient to see them again! What? Why don't you believe me?

Anyway, they passed next to the tavern where Gloria was working. She spat right in front of the door, promising herself that she never would do it again and questioning herself how the other prostitutes were going. A question that wasn't going to have answers. Later, one of her ancient customer, a 2nd Class, would back here. He was going to be disappointed to see that she wasn't here anymore. Too bad for him, the _Pretty Woman_'s scenario can't happen to everybody.

But, we are not here to explore another story than the one we currently are in. Because there are a lot of interesting stories in that distinct District but I'm sure you want to know the conclusion of the case (plus, I'm too lazy to make you see the entire District and you had a good general idea in the previous chapters. So, if you want to know more about it, just get your lazy ass up and watch all around you because multiples realities can be different but they have so much in common!).

And, it was when they were questioning a random mole that a shadow appeared right behind them. No one said anything. And you know why?

Because nobody wanted to mess up with the Gang.

They looked back and Troth suddenly took Qualt by the throat while the other retained Gloria. And they went to a dark little street between two houses.

"What did I say, yesterday?" said the Gang's Head.

Qualt looked more annoyed than anything. No terror was in his eyes. He kinda expected them to show. So he answered:

"Oh, fuck off, you..."

The reply? A punch in the chest and, again:

"What did I say, yesterday?"

"Dude, just..."

"I am not your dude. Yesterday, I told you to don't come back here. But you came back so, now, we're gonna kill ya."

Qualt looked up, annoyed.

"Any last word?"

"Yes. I'm here for a reason, you know?"

"And what's this reason?"

"I'm here to search for someone, and not Gloria because she's here. And, if you want the child to be avenged, you're gonna let us alone, Gloria and I."

So Troth released him.

"Okay, guys, release Gloria too. So who is it, this time?"

Qualt massed his throat because, well, it's a bit painful when someone begin to strangle you, as the others let the red dragoness and he answered:

"Searching for a 1st Class that went here. He came here yesterday."

"Yeah..."

"I don't know if the rules..."

"Fuck, Troth", said Gloria. "Stop being so annoying with the rules. You look so fucked up with that."

"Well, Gloria, if I wasn't, the Gang wouldn't be so much respected and feared."

"But, here, it's to avenge my son! So, please..."

"Okay, so what does he look like?".

I won't redo the description for you, reader.

"I think I know who is the dragon you're talking about." answered Troth after that.

"Oh?"

"Yeah. He came yesterday and he looked fucking terrified. Ah! I don't know why would he be terrified by something outside here!"

"Maybe because the world is more fucked up that in your only little area."

"Worst than us?"

The answered was a silent nod from Qualt.

"Fuck... We need to improve, so... But, anyway, that dragon went terrified here and hid in a random tavern for the night."

"And what's his name?"

"Tell me the name of the one you're searching and I tell you if he is the one."

"Henry Yalt."

"Bingo."

"Okay, so, now that we know that he was here, where is he now?"

Troth looked at the others and then said:

"Well, now, he is at the arena."

"What? He wants to fight?"

"No. He's just watching. But, that part isn't our area of the District. Fortunately for you, the ones who control this area is our allies, for the moment."

"Oh, okay then."

"So, Troth", said Gloria, "are you gonna let us move freely here or what? I have a son to avenge, me!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

"Oh, and, can I tell you something before you go?"

"What, _detective_?"

"After that case will be closed, I'll come back here."

"And why that?"

"To fight in the arena. I'll need money for something. So, when I'll come back, I won't come back as a detective. So, next time I'll be here, you don't try to kill me, deal?"

A moment of silence went before...

"Deal. Guys, we leave now."

"Okay, boss."

And so they left Qualt and Gloria alone.

They looked at each other and, at the same time, a sigh of relief came from their mouth.

"It could have been messy!" exclaimed Gloria, knowing what she was talking about.

"Yeah. And, if you want my opinion, I prefer things that ain't messy."

So they stopped a moment to take their breath before going into the arena's direction...

It took a moment before finally arriving at destination. And, their destination was just a door leading to a random looking building. But, in front of the door, a dragon was guarding the way as the Minotaur the Hell's door.

So they went in front of him before Gloria saying:

"We come here to watch the fights."

He nodded and whispered:

"No darker today, if you want to know."

"Okay."

"Welcome to the Mister Bourgoistic's lair."

So they entered and took a stair that was leading underground. The more they were walking, the more the noises could be heard. Those were yelling and gambling ones. And there was more and more light.

Finally, among all the yells for the fight, they arrived at destination. A very big "room" where, at the middle, was a sort of cage: the arena, which the ground was a mix of dirt, stone and sand. And the spectators were higher than the arena's ground so they could watch everything if they had a good place.

By seeing that, Qualt already imagined the future and his fights in here.

Near the walls were multiple gambling stands, which near them were multiple persons from multiple species.

Gloria went closer to the arena to see what was happening and came back, frustrated.

"Fuck, I already know the end just by the look of the fighters presented right now!" she said to Qualt, who was searching.

"No time for that, Gloria!" he mumbled between his teeth.

Then, she saw an imposing bear near one stand and she suddenly had an idea.

"Hey, you see that bear?"

"Yeah...?"

"It's the fucker who scammed us. Money Bag. Look and learn how to scam a scammer."

So she went closer to him and, when she was in front of the stand, she looked at the bear and said:

"You know, this fight is already, like, written in advance with what I can see from the fighters."

"Oh? And _who_ does miss think will win."

"If you want my opinion, the second fighter presented will win. Sure at one hundred percent. And I talk about experience: the other is just a newbie. Just look at how fragile and weak he looks!"

"Everything on the second fighter, then!" suddenly said the bear to the gambling stand.

And, then, she came back to Qualt before whispering:

"He's gonna lose. The other is a fucking pro who won so many fights in his life while the other is just a random that wants to earn money. He's gonna lose and it's gonna be fucking hilarious."

He mumbled again that it wasn't the time and that they had to do more important things.

"Oh! Come on! I'm sure we will easily find him."

"Talk for yourself."

The thing they didn't know is that Money Bag changed his bet right with an amused smile after Gloria walked away. He knew the results too. And he looked towards the place where Bourgistic was to comment the fight.

Meanwhile, the two dragons continued to search, when...

"Look. I think it's him." she said while pointing someone.

And that someone corresponded to the descriptions.

Then, the arena's fight began.

"Fight! _Offrez-nous un beau comnbat_!" resonated through the arena.

Qualt came closer to the dragon. And, when he was right behind him...

"Henry Yalt?"

The heart of the dragon looked like it stopped. He turned around to see Qualt.

"I have some question for you. And don't try to run."

"Is it because of the Galds children?"

"Yes."

"So you think I killed them? Because I didn't!"

"No. If I am here, it's just because I have some questions for you. Some questions about the Galds, what do you know about them, and why did you come here with a terrified look yesterday. Oh, and, yes, I know about your relations with Frey."

He sighed wile the fighters were beating each other.

"Listen", he said. "I know that what I'll tell you will seem pretty unbelievable but I'm scared of the Galds. Especially Pold."

"Oh?"

"Yeah... If I came here, it's because I'm scared of Pold Gald and of what he's able to do. This dragon is a fucking psycho, a fucking maniac, despite the fact that he is so gullible! Why do you think Frey left me? Why do you think she left me despite the fact the she _fucking_ loved me! Because she was scared that Pold discover all of this. And guess _why_ she was _scared_ that _he_ discovers all of that!"

"Oh. Didn't know that side of Pold."

"Yeah. It's because he hides it! It's because _he_ is a fucking mad dragon! A fucking maniac! And you know what Frey told me about him? She told me that she discovered him talking to himself when he was alone! She told me that he was fucking scary when he was doing that because he was talking about murder and killing and blood and death... She even told me one thing he said because it marked her: _you're not gonna be out_! You know what? I'm sure that it's him who killed his children!"

"But why would he do that?"

"Because maybe he discovered the relations. And maybe because of that madness I just told you. You know, some has other personalities, other persons inside them and, if they get out, if they surface in the world, it can be a fucking mayhem!"

"Multiple personalities?"

"Yes! You didn't know that it existed?"

"Oh fuck..." whispered Qualt.

Another suspect entered his list. And, this one, he had to see him quickly.

He turned around suddenly and went into the Gloria's direction after saying:

"Thanks for answering my questions."

"You're welcome..."

And, as he was now right next to the red dragoness, the fight ended as she expected.

"Gloria."

"Hey! Look, I was right about the fight."

"Yeah, Money Bag's gonna be mad but, for now, we have to be quick."

"Oh? Why that?"

"Because I think I know who killed your son. And I fear that _he_ will kill again today."

"And where is he?"

And he answered something that led Gloria into an uncontrollable rage:

"At the Gald's house. I fear... I fear that the murderer of your son is none other than Pold..."


	13. Chapter XI : Pure Lie

"I'M GONNA _FUCKING KILL_ HIM!" she yelled with, inside her, Pure Rage!

"No! Don't, Gloria!"

She began to rush out of the building, hell fires into her eyes, as Qualt tried to catch her! But she was too fast! She was too furious too and everybody on her way was violently pushed!

Then, they got out of here, Qualt resigned to catch her as he suddenly lost her!

_I have to be at the Galds before her!_

And he deployed his wings before rushing to his destination, his heart beating, fast and loud! He had the impression that, if Gloria was in front of Pold, he's gonna lose every control of the situation and it would all end in death and blood! And Gloria would probably being executed right after that, or even threw in an asylum again...

Now, he had to go faster and faster!

And now, even the city was a tiny place because Pold wasn't secure anywhere as Gloria would search for him.

He ignored everybody on his way, he ignore every exterior parts and focused on one objective: finding him before the red dragoness!

And he quickly arrived at destination, in front of the house in the 1st Class!

And, then, he heard a scream coming from inside... a feminine scream.

With his shoulder, he ran into the door and broke it in multiple pieces to finally enter the house!

"NO!" yelled the same voice...

It was the Frey's one.

He rushed into the main room, where the scream was coming from, to finally see Pold, holding Frey by the throat with a powerful seize from the right arm!

He was here before Gloria. But where was she, at this moment?

No time for questions!

He jumped on the black dragon and pushed him away, making him brutally releasing the yellow dragoness!

Frey looked at them and Qualt ordered:

"Out of here! Quick! Go find reinforcements!"

She nodded and obeyed as Qualt took a punch in the face! And Pold tried to catch his wife but the blue dragon intercepted him and tackled him before being, by the black dragon's back claws, pushed and threw away!

Pold hit the ground as a _crystalline_ noise began to be heard...

Qualt looked at him before seeing the claws changing colors and weight: they began to be bigger and darker. Crystals began to replace the claws.

"So, mister detective, you found out, as I see..."

His voice was more guttural than ever...

He suddenly jumped on the blue dragon but this one dodged at the last moment before trying to strike! But it wasn't effective as, with the back of the arm, he hit him violently in the gut and pushed him meters away!

Then, Qualt, with an intern _fuck it!_, got up and decided to use one technique he learned some years ago. He suddenly iced his fists until the beginning of his arms. It would be a good protection against crystals.

The two began to turn around like two grave and dangerous predators.

"I have a question, before continuing."

"And what's that?"

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why did you killed them? Why did you killed your _own_ children?"

"Why, you ask? To punish her... The other me is too weak to dare acting, to show his true side, his true personality... So I decided to take control and to kill them as a warning..."

"You're a sick fuck..."

"And now... Now I was trying to finish the job."

And he made the first move! Qualt parried the crystal with his ice and tried to punch! He dodged and they tried to hit the other multiple times again! And again!

Then, Pold broke the ice and planted the little crystal into his adversary's arm before punching him and making him fly into a wall!

Qualt fell on the ground and, before he could do anything, the black dragon was in front of him, blocking him with his claws, one of them on his mouth in case of an ice breath.

"So, Ironhorns... What am I gonna do now, since reinforcements will arrive in some minutes...? I will kill you, that's for sure... But for interrupting me...?"

A claw began to hack and slash the bandages of the not so closed Qualt's wounds. And they did that while planting in the flesh at the same time. The blue dragon groaned in pain as his blood was now on the ground.

"Oh! I know... Don't move, it will sting a little!"

And, by a powerful hit on the face, Qualt became weaker than ever, which let the time to Pold to seize one of the iron horns and...

And to pull it violently, to snatch it in a brutal way! And the blue dragon let a muffled pain scream escape as the scorching sensation was now too present in his head.

Pold, after throwing it, did it again, this time with the other horn.

The pain was now unbelievable...

And Qualt, in an access of pain and rage, suddenly created ice stalagmites on his flank and pierced a bit the Pold's body, who stepped back in surprise!

But he was now too weak to continue the fight after what happened to his horns once again. In addition, the rest of his wounds began to bleed again...

And Pold, madness in his eyes, got closer to him, ready to finish all of it.

"Now, let's end all of this."

He was now too close to him... And he was paralyzed by pain and by fear, for his enemy had now his claw high in the air, ready to strike.

That's when he heard a voice.

"Hey, you! You, bastard!"

It was Troth at the entrance of the room. Pold looked at him.

"Look behind you!"

And, behind him, was Gloria with the two iron horns.

Pold didn't have the time to understand what was happening that too pointy horn were now planted with wrath in his neck! One at each side!

"That's for my son!" she yelled!

Then, fire appeared in her mouth. And she said:

"And that's for me, you cocksucker!"

She vomited on him all her rage in a single yet burning, scorching flame! A flame that was now in his face, melting it in a terrible scream! And, at the same time, she was pushing more the horns into the neck!

It was a hell vision that Pold saw before finally horribly dying...

His body fell as a heavy mass on the ground. Then the silence came back.

And Troth looked behind before slowly stepping back.

That's when multiple guards, followed by Frey and Foudre, entered the room.

Frey looked terrified when she saw the Pold's corpse. And Foudre, him, just looked around and approached Qualt, who said:

"Do not touch one scale of those two! They helped me!"

"Don't worry about that. Well, it seems that it was a bloody massacre, here."

"Yeah... Pold was the _–__Cough__!– _murderer. And he tried to kill me. So, I can say that his death was auto-defense, I guess?"

He sighed before replying:

"You know, the murder of a 1st Class isn't always great in a tribune."

"Yeah, but Pold was the murderer and was mad. So I think it's gonna be o–_C__o__ugh!–_kay, isn't it?"

"Those two are lucky they just helped the Police. We're gonna let that and they will be able to continue their life."

"How?"

"We have our own way, my dear. Anyway, looks like your horns are gonna be replaced again."

"Yeah... This time I want knifes or daggers in my horns. It would be fucking useful for some things."

"That is not my problem. Anyway, good job."

Meanwhile, Gloria went next to Frey in a bitter mood.

"I hope you're happy now, Frey. I hope you're happy after everything that happened, after everything you and Pold did."

"You killed him..."

"Auto-defense. And, you, you kidnapped my son. So you're not better. And, now, both our children are dead."

Tears appeared at the Frey's eyes. She knew everything she did. She blamed herself that everything was her fault... It was her who had the relation with Henry, it was her who accepted Korth, who thought she was sterile. It was her who did not complain to the police about Pold because she was scared... It was her who helped throwing Gloria into an asylum. And, now, she blamed herself for everything that happened. Now, she was hating herself. She could have done so many things right... And looking at Gloria didn't help her. No, the opposite.

Then, the red dragoness moved away from her to go next to Qualt before saying:

"Well, looks like he did not missed ya."

"Indeed."

"Call for help, we will have to transport him at the hospital", said Foudre to one guard, who obeyed.

Fortunatuly for Qualt, his wounds weren't morals nor too serious.. Unfortunatuly, he would have to put the iron horns again (and it was going to hurt very much again) and to stay at the hospital some days again.

_At least, I'll be able to plan everything for the tournament and the outside, now..._


	14. Chapter XII : Back Home!

Qualt sighed, boredom surrounding him and falling on him like if a the giant worm from the Warfang's Attack was raining by dozens. So, yeah, he was pretty "squished" on his bed by that, waiting hours into the hospital for his wounds to be healed a minimum. He had a perfect poker face.

"Oh hey buddy!" said a voice, coming from the bed right next to him.

He turned the head and saw... the dragon with whose he told his story the last time.

"So you're back?" he continued.

"You too, as I see."

"Yeeeeeah... Not really proud on how I'm back here."

"Your time to tell me."

"Well... You see, after getting out of here, I came back to my home. And I decided to go on the roof, to appreciate the little view I had. The only problem I had was that... well... I slipped."

"Oh..."

"Yeah, not a great way to end in there, eh? Ah ah!... Anyway, how 'bout you? How did you managed to come here again?"

"So, after getting out of here, I was upgraded as detective and had to investigate on a murder of two dragon children. I found the murderer and he wasn't really... cooperative. Fortunately, he was stopped."

The other stood silent a moment.

"What?" asked Ironhorns.

"Nothing. You were more talkative the last time."

"Yeah. But not this time, sorry, don't want that thing to be written again and sent to lots of writers without my permission!"

"Oh..."

"But, yeah. Guess who's gonna have new horns!"

"I saw that."

"This time, I want at least retractable small blades like daggers on them. 'T would be pretty fucking useful."

"I see..."

Then, the silence fell on both of them. They were searching for something to say to the other, to make the time pass.

And, actually, the other found something. He opened his mouth and...

"Mister Ironhorns?" said a doctor cheetah entering the room. "Your wife is here to see you."

"Your wife?" asked the other dragon to Qualt. "I thought she was dead."

"Yeah. My ancient wife is dead. Now, well... It's a long story."

"Hey Qualt!" said a feminine voice before brutally enter the room.

"Oh, hello Gloria", he said.

She came closer to the blue dragon as the cheetah got out of the room. What she did once she was next to him was just... getting on the bed with him while saying:

"Yeah, for the _wife_ thing, it was the only way to enter and to join you."

"Don't worry with that."

"So, how ya doin' with all the shits you got?"

"Well... Pretty visible, for the moment. I have to stay here and wait."

"I see."

"Anyway... now that the case is closed, what you're gonna do?"

She sighed and stood silent for some seconds.

"I don't know..." she finally answered."I seriously don't know... And you?"

"I think you know what I'll do."

"Oh, yeah, true, I remember... Well, happy you're doin' pretty well."

"Yeah... I only will go well if I'll have the horns I asked, ah ah!"

She got out the bed and, with a false smile, she replied:

"Well, I went here to see if you were doing okay and I had my answer. Now I'll let you."

"Okay."

"Heal well."

"Wait, before you go, where will I be able to find you when I'll be out of here?"

"Hmmm... Maybe where you found me."

And she began to leave before...

"Oh, Gloria! Before you go..."

He made a quick movement with his head, silently saying to approach. She came closer, so, and he whispered to her:

"The keys are under the mat."

She smiled, nodded, and got out.

Qualt stood silent... and then turned towards his neighbor to say:

"So... What were we talking about?"

And so, they befriended and began to know each other. He learned, for example, that the grey dragon (because, yes, it was a grey dragon) was called Drer, that he was 31 years old and was a 2nd Class hammersmith.

* * *

Then went the moment to put his new horns. Once again, it was really painful. And Qualt just swore to every gods he knew. Yet, he had what he wanted: detachable iron horns with retractile blades like daggers in them.

After the operation, he could go home. That's what he did, thinking at the same time about the tournaments and where would he have the right infos.

He quickly arrived in front of his house. He opened the door and entered before yelling:

"Finally back home!"

He felt something right behind him, like a breath, and so a feminine voice talked in a lovely tone:

"Back home with a surprise."

As you probably guessed it, it was Gloria.

Ironhorns turned back and immediately kissed her. He closed the door and the two, finally, reunited themselves in a passionate night...


	15. Chapter XIII : The Tournament

**SECOND BRANCH:**

**Mister Bourgoistic**

The orders of the fights were fixed to multiple walls nigh the arena. And this is what Qualt, accompanied by Gloria and Troth, was watching.

"Well!" exclaimed Troth. "Looks like you're gonna have some difficulties with some of them!"

"Come on!" answered Qualt. "Just a little bit of infos on the ones you know."

"Nope!"

"Qualt", added Gloria, "he's pretty stubborn so it's useless to try."

"But I'm gonna fight and I'm gonna need those infos."

"For the tenth time: NO! Plus, some of them are my good friends. Sorry, but you're on your own."

"And you, Gloria, do you know some of them?"

"One or two names are familiar to me but I can't put a face on them. Maybe it's because of the asylum."

"Fuck..."

"But there is only one thing I can tell", then said Troth.

"And what's that?"

"Watch out for Bourgoistic. That fucker can be sneaky on what he's doing. A good friend of that fucking bear, in addition."

"First Class who makes a tournament? That doesn't make the District angry?"

"Some, yes, we can't deny it. But, in the majority, no. By doing that, he offers a chance to lots of people stuck. And he is one of the persons who actually care for some of us here."

"Oh, I see."

"So, yeah, even if he's a bastard, that dude is a saviour for some of the fighters you'll see around here."

"Oh, okay. Wait... Am I the only 2nd Class in this tournament?"

"Nope. Martin is a 1st while Dreodit, the first one you're gonna fight, is a 2nd. So, don't worry, you won't be the only red target inhere."

"Yeah, no pressure or anything."

"You're in a fucking Underground Tournament, what did you expect?"

"Only to fight."

"Okay, so, guys", cut them Gloria, "now is not the time to joke. Qualt, honey, are you prepared enough?"

"No."

She sighed.

"No I'm not but I'll still fight."

"And this is for that that you left your prostitute's job?"

"Shut up, Troth!"

For those who understood, Qualt was preparing himself for the great tournament. And, no, reader, you didn't loose a chapter, don't worry about that. It's a wanted ellipsis but you'll have some details on what happened between the chapter 12 and this one, the chapter 13. First of all to describe why they are here, why Troth is here, particularly, because he is ahead of the Ghort Gang, after all. But there is also one or two encounters he made of which the discussion was, in my opinion, interesting.

So, first of all, Qualt, after two weeks, heard of the tournament in which he would be able to fight a Darker. So he quickly went to the inscription. And, when I say _quickly_, it was the fact that, when he heard, he directly ran to his destination, Gloria following him and yelling him to wait for her, annoyed.

And while running, he hurt Troth at a corner. And here what followed that encounter.

"Ah fuck! Oh, it's you..."

Qualt shook a bit his head and...

"Arf!"

"Let me guess why you are here..."

"Tournament."

"You didn't let me guess..."

Then, Gloria arrived, puffing.

"Heck... Qualt! Fuck! I... told you to... wait for me... Pheeew! Oh, hey hi Troth..."

"Hello Gloria. So, yeah, you're here for the tournament as you said it the last time."

"Yeah."

"Okay. So, now, quick, before no more place is left."

"You won't say it twice!"

And Qualt ran again.

"Fuck, QUALT! WAIT FOR ME FOR FUCK SAKE!"

And she ran after him again.

A short time after, the inscriptions were done. At first, hundreds were into the tournament but, when came the selection, only sixteen remained. And you saw who they were. Qualt just sighed with delight when he saw he was taken. And he did that even more when he heard the reasons: he survived to a darker and he had fighting bases so he could offer some entertainment. And when he was waiting for the selection, he could discuss with one of the eliminated ones, a kinda old crocodile who was... frank with him.

"Question, why do you want the reward, you?" asked the crocodile.

"I want to do a thing outside, after. And you?" answered Ironhorns.

"I want, with the money, to put chaos in the 1st Class Zone."

"What? Why?"

"I don't come from Warfang. I'm here since the War began, since we had to protect ourselves and find a new home. Warfang welcomed us... even if the word _welcome_ is a very naughty word. They just said _you can enter, we will protect you_ and they threw us in a zone, in a district, treating us like total shits, like if we only were garbage because we are strangers without even fucking knowing us or trying to know us! They don't give us any respect nor consideration! So, I'll be honest with ya, if a civil war happens up there, they will fucking deserve it after all they've done!"

After that monologue, Qualt could only answer that:

"Okay."

And, after the announcement were made, Qualt and Gloria encountered Troth again and, when they asked him why he was here, alone, he answered:

"What? Every tournament is an event that I don't want to miss!"

So here they were, a few minutes after, when the fights order was shown. Then, he saw not so far from him a grey dragon looking at the orders. So Qualt came behind him and, recognizing him, said:

"Drer? What the fuck are you doing here?"

"Oh! Hey, Qualt!" he answered after turning back. "Well, I wanted to relax a bit and to watch one or two tournaments fights... And I just saw that you are one of the fighters."

"Yeah..."

"And you're gonna fight my cousin in first. Didn't know he was going to participate to one of those..."

"Wait, what? Cousin?"

"Yeah. The cadet of the second sister of my father. He's been through shits those last month so I'm not really surprised that he went here to have some money."

"So I guess you won't give me any infos about him to help me during the fight."

"You guessed it."

Then, a voice came from the middle of the main arena. A voice that resonated through the entire room:

"Everybody, welcome to the Underground Tournaments!"

Qualt, Gloria, Troth and Drer, then, went close to the arena to see a crocodile whose clothes were white and the middle purple. A white top-hat, which the band was also purple, was sitting on his head. He also had with him a luxuriant cane painted in purple. From where they were, they could see a satisfied smile on his face just as observing eyes and a well cared long and slender moustache. He held something in his (not so) free hand in which he was talking. It was an object that combined technology and magic. It was used to high a voice. And it was the perfect object for a presenter like him.

"_Mon nom_", continued the biped crocodile, "is Bourgoistic and I am the organizer of this tournament. And I will also be the commentator. As you may saw it, the finalist will earn a very great reward... only if he beats Alagar, _notre __d__arker_! That means that this tournament is very _very_ special. So you'll have special rules this time."

He let a moment of pause, a moment of silence, looking all around him and appreciating the whispers of everyone asking themselves what would be the special rules. Then, when he spoke again, a total silence went, especially for the terrible words he pronounced...

"Indeed, during this tournament, the brawls will all end with... _death!_"


	16. Chapter XIV : First Fights

Drer looked at Qualt... and his head went down as he sighed. Ironhorns saw it because, when Bourgoistic pronounced his sentence, he turned his head towards his direction: he was going to fight his cousin, after all.

"Oh! Just in case you'll try to run away", added the crocodile, caressing his moustache, "I put some of my men to block the exit. And their order is to kill every fighters who try to fly away from their fate."

They now touched the point of No Return.

He then saw tears appearing in Drer's eyes. Qualt approached but the look that the grey dragon gave told him to not make a single more step.

Words can have such a great power on people. They can build... just as they can destroy. And Bourgoistic knew it and proved it at this moment: just by telling the correct words, he had everybody under his claws. But acts were made before for the crocodile to add weight into his arguments and his past actions made him a terrifying creature, worshipped and even feared like if he was a God by some people into the District. Even the Ghort Gang wasn't playing foul with him. Troth was maybe spiting shit on him but, messing with him? Hell no! One of the rival Gangs, the Yaulth, tried to mess with him, to make him understand that trying to take the entire District for schmucks wasn't the good thing to do for his health... and the entire Gang ended up exterminated, one by one... And all with a cruel manner. Do you remember, reader, the difference, explained by Troth, between a mafia and a gang? Well, here, Bourgoistic was seen as a Mafia's Godfather. He was a pro for keeping his public image updated. But maybe that monster had some hidden side and was way more ambiguous that you would think. He helped for charity and saved so many lives as a true humanist (even if the term is wrong because, here, there is no human but I think you get the point) and all that shit, after all... even if all of that was also a clever strategy to gain popularity.

Now that this small portrait of Mister Bourgoistic is painted, let's focus on what happens next.

So Drer began to step backward.

"I'm sorry", he sadly said, "I know you'll have no choice but... but I don't want to talk with the killer of my cousin, for the moment..."

And he left and disappeared within the crowd, something that Qualt could easily understand. But, unfortunately, it was going to be kill or be killed when the fights were going to start.

Then, Gloria went right next to him and really stuck to him. He could feel her heat when she said:

"You'll better win! I don't want to loose another one..."

"And I don't want to loose my life neither, don't worry about that."

"I know you don't. But, still, be careful."

"Yeah", joined Troth, "be careful because the croc is the organizer."

And Qualt, then, after, trained himself like he did when he was doing his soldier's job, just as repeating some element moves that the Ice Guardian taught. He did that during one entire day before the no-holds-barred fights began. And he did that alone, doesn't caring for what the others were doing, if they were crying because of that small surprise, if they "took it like a male" and they prepared themselves, if the announcement did nothing to them because they had nothing to lose...

* * *

And came the D day, the day of the first fights.

Orka, a strong wolf, used to fight with daggers, who was in this tournament to help his daughter to get out of the District, versus Humaeorus, an Earth dragon, proud like the warrior he was, always strategizing the next move of his adversary, fighting because he had nothing left to lose, because this Tournament was his last chance.

The fight began. Orka was fast and turned around the dragon multiple time. Suddenly, he jumped on Humaeorus! This last didn't see it coming and took a dagger into his left side! He groaned and, then, the wolf turned around him again, even faster. But the dragon learned the lesson and, with his eyes, without even moving, he tried to follow the Orka's moves.

Then the wolf jumped when he was behind the dragon! But Humaeorus saw that sudden move and turned around, a smile on his face.

And Orka saw an Earth stalagmite growing from the ground. It was the last thing he saw before the pic touched him right between his two eyes.

"And the winner is Humaeorus!" exclaimed Bourgoistic from his place, a frown on his face and a drink in his left hand.

A pause came, letting the next fighters prepare themselves.

And Qualt heard yells. It was the Orka's daughter, now orphan. She wasn't accepting that. She wasn't accepting the fact that her future was now forever sealed (even if an event fortunate could happen in the future). The Bourgoistic's men took her and threw her out of the place where this tournament took place, they threw her outside, now all alone.

Then the second fight began. Utor versus Uogh, a fire dragon versus a mole, the two fighting just because they wanted to fight and to gain some money with it.

And, thanks to his agility, one easily won. Utor spat his fire on Uogh, who dodged and jumped on the dragon, his sword high. Utor turned his head and his skull broke in two because of the blade of his enemy.

As blood flowed on the dirty ground, the crocodile announced the winner.

Another pause.

And another fight began under the Qualt's watchful eyes. After all, the winner of this one would be the one he would fight right after, if he wins against Dreodit.

So entered a young cheetah, almost fifteen years old. Œl. His mother was watching right next to Ironhorns.

"If only I could have took his place..." she mumbled.

But she couldn't. No female was allowed in this tournament. I let you imagine how her heart broke when she heard the terrifying words, the ones which meant that she was going to watch her son die right in front of her eyes.

The cheetah in the arena looked confident, he stood straight, a bastard sword forged by his dead father in his hands. Then entered a crocodile with iron claws. This one was fighting because he wanted to fight a darker, he wanted to feel the adrenaline of it and, for that, he was ready to do anything. Doley.

The fight began. Œl attacked first! He tried to slay his adversary with a horizontal hit with his sword but the skin of this last was resistant and the strike made nothing. Doley, then, smiled and attacked with his iron claws. The tip entered the flesh of the young cheetah, in the chest. But, fortunately, Œl dodged by jumping back. And this was what Doley waited. He jumped and open his fangs. The cheetah, surprise fell on his back while the crocodile went on him to put the final hit.

And the fight ended brutally.

Doley was on Œl and blood was on the ground. And the crocodile fell on the side. Everyone, then, saw the planted sword into his chest. And everyone saw the cheetah on the ground, alive.

"And the winner is... Œl! What a wonderful fight!"

This one's breath was jerky. He saw death into the Doley's fangs and he thanked his quick reactions on that.

And the pause went.

A Bourgoistic's man came next to Ironhorns and told him to prepare himself for the next fight, which would also be the final one of the day...


	17. Chapter XV : Ironhorns VS Dreodit

Qualt entered the arena under the spectator's yells. He looked all around and saw Gloria, hoping for him to win. And he saw Dred, a sad look on his face.

"He was a soldier", then said the voice of the crocodile, "he survived to a darker, he was after a detective... and, now, he is an illegal fighter! He has metallic horns... Everybody, males and females, _accueuillez _in the arena our ice dragon: Qualt Ironhorns!"

The ground was dusty and dirty and he looked at the Bourgoistic room where he was observing the fights. And something caught his eyes: he wasn't alone. Indeed, in the room, a dark form was sitting... and was even relaxing. He recognized, as a light beam struck, a monocle and a bear form. The form was smoking. I think, reader, you all are intelligent enough to recognize who this was so I don't need to say his name.

Then, a gate behind Qualt opened and a white dragon entered.

"And, to face him, we have another 2nd Class. He controls an element that you shouldn't underestimate even if it sounds ridicule: the Bubbles element! And, _croyez-moi_, he isn't someone that you should underestimate neither. He is ready to do everything. _Accueillez_ in the arena our dear Oltariev Dreodit!"

The yells were now bigger.

"Now that the presentations are done... Fight until the other one is _dead_!"

The two faced each other and began to turn around. Qualt's heart began to pound. He was going to kill or be killed in front of dozens and dozens of spectators were here, excited to see the blood flow, amazed in front of the death's show. He thought about the writer, this Orlath... Ah! This one surely had something to eat with all this violence! And, you know what, if this one would write a book about what was happening... he would read it. And he even would appreciate the story.

But now wasn't the moment.

He felt like a beast that you would point because "it looks funny". And everybody was looking all of that from higher, appreciating everything...

The stare between the two dragons looked eternal. They were turning around each other... and Qualt could clearly see that his adversary wasn't really trained. But, from what he was seeing only by his positions, Dreodit would have made an excellent soldier.

Then, he saw a false move. It was the moment! So Qualt took the opportunity and jumped on his adversary to punch him! But this last saw it and had the time to fight back! Indeed, he stooped and used his fist on Qualt's chest when this one was close! The ice dragon flew right into the ground and Dreodit ran into his direction! He rolled and, with his tail, at the last second, took the white dragon's left back paw, destabilized him and spat his ice on him after that!

Dreodit moaned when the element touched him but he didn't say his last word.

He turned back and used his element. A bubbles beam went directly into the Ironhorn's chest and, when the all exploded, Qualt was violently repulsed as he landed on the wall of the arena!

Then, a big bubble was created by the white dragon. A bubble almost as big as the dragon. It slowly came into Qualt's direction. And this last only had the time to jump on this side before, again, brutally being repulsed on the wall. But that was still better that being just a bloody corpse if he stood still. He coughed as dust entered his lungs.

He lift his head and saw Dreodit running fast into him, ready to finish all of that!

But Qualt knew what to do...

His front left paw was on the ground as he slowly woke up, his other was grabbing one of his horns and a back paw was on the wall.

And when Dreodit was close enough, he jumped, taking speed with his back paw and his front paw, and he detached a part of his iron horn to let the blade outside before doing a quick strike!

He stopped and slid a bit before turning back. His heart was still pounding.

He then saw Dreodit on the ground, on his back, his throat open, bleeding. He saw the life of his adversary leaving him just as the eyes went glassy.

He lift his head and saw Drer turning back and disappearing into the noisy and excited just as entertained crowd.

"And the winner is... _Ironhorns_!"

Qualt turned his head into the Bourgoistic's direction and he saw him giving money to the bear just as he saw them laughing right after Moneybag said something. And he hated them. He hated the way they were, he hated the way the looked, he hated the way the acted…

He simply hated them.

And he left the arena.


	18. Chapter XVI : The Second Day

Qualt was in his room. Every fighter had his own room for the tournament. And he was on the bed, alone. The night was advanced but he couldn't sleep for what he had to do today. And that's a thing he would have to do three more times if he wanted to win... In addition, the next one he was going to fight was a _child!_ A teen cheetah with his mother watching! Fuck! He went here only to fight, not to kill! And he felt guilty. Why? For the reasons he had to come here, next to the others. He just wanted revenge... while others were just here to surve, to have a new life, to gett out of the shit, to help their family... But he had to continue. He had to! First of all because he wanted to survive, but also for Gloria and Gloria, to avenge her death, to kill one of those darkers outside... Some were counting on him and he didn't want to disappoint them. No, he had to win! But killing just a child for a story of egoist vengeance...

Then, he heard a voice coming from behind his door.

"Ah! Ironhorns. Can I enter please?"

It was Bourgoistic.

"What the fuck do you want, crocodile?" he answered.

"Just to congratulate you for the _magnifique combat_ you showed us and to talk to you."

He went to the door and said:

"I hope it won't be for a cheating story, because I refuse before you even ask."

He opened and...

It wasn't Bourgoistic.

He took a punch in the face and ended up on the ground.

"That's my way to say _Fuck you_ for what you did to my cousin!"

In front of him was, indeed, Drer. This one sighed and entered.

Qualt put his front right hand on one of his horns.

"No, I'm not here to fight, Qualt, don't worry, you can chill out. Plus, if I wanted to kill you, I could have just slashed your throat."

"How the fuck did you do that?"

"It's not complicated to imitate his voice."

"Yeah but, how?"

"Did you, at least, follow your classes about elements."

"Oh, you have the Sound element..."

"You guessed it, Sherlock!"

"Listen, I know you're angry for what I did today but..."

"Who wouldn't be angry? But, yeah, I know, you didn't have a choice..."

"Okay, so..." said Qualt while getting up, "why did you come here? Only the punch on the face?"

"No. I just wanted to talk with someone friendly. With all the murders that I will witness, I think it's the better thing to do for me."

"Eh! Look at me too. Some of those murders, I will do them."

"True."

And so they talked to each other for a good while before, finally, leaving Qualt alone again.

Oh! And you're probably asking yourself how Drer could have entered the rooms sector. It was easy: he imitated, hidden, the Bourgoistic's voice and, then he entered. Consequences? He didn't care. And, consequences after that? First of all, only the Bourgoistic men that have been played knew that "Bourgoistic gave the authorization" and, if this last knew about how Drer imitated him, he would just laugh and applaud the action. It's simple: if someone is intelligent enough to elude all his "traps", all the security he placed, he would just applaud the action if this wasn't for messing with him (and, here, Qualt was still alive and not injured, so it wasn't messing with him).

So, don't worry, reader, Drer won't die for doing that.

* * *

Then, the next day, four more fights were planed.

The first one was Perlaoct against Martin. The first one was a water dragon and was here because he wanted the money for personal reasons and the other was the 1st Class, a trained cheetah, a good friend with the two writers Qualt encounter when he was playing Sherlock Holmes on the Pold's case. He went here to fight and know more about the 3rd Class Citizen and the district. Plus, a good tournament would have been entertaining, eh? Too bad he couldn't go back when Bourgoistic said it was fighting until death...

When the fight began, Martin jumped on Perlaoct but was repulsed with water. He rolled when he landed and dodged the dragon at the last second. This one showed his back by failing his attack. It was the perfect opportunity for the cheetah. He jumped and landed between the two wings, that he grabbed. He pulled and, with a good kick, he broke one wing and the other right after. Perlaoct screamed but Martin didn't cared, he continued to pull until ripping out the fly members. Blood flowed and the dragon fell on the ground because of the pain. So the cheetah ended his suffers by breaking his neck wit his right foot. Martin was the winner.

Pause then the next fight.

Two cheetahs entered at the same time in the arena. Two cheetahs that looked the same except for a black stain on the forehead of Samud. Before the presentations were done, the two hugged each other. They were indeed, as Troth said to Qualt, twin brothers. They came here to test each other, as the family tradition wanted, to see which one was the strongest. They were totally destroyed by the Bourgoistic's little surprise... Now that they had to kill their brother, they just hugged themselves before the final fight...

And the brawl began when the presentations were done. The fight longed long long minutes because the two had something for that: they knew their adversary very well.

And, at the end, Samud was on the ground. And the two said goodbye to the other before Amer finished the fight by killing quickly his twin brother.

Pause then next fight.

This time, the two presented were unknown by Troth. But not by Bourgoistic, who still wanted to keep surprises by saying only the names and the fact that they were 3rd Class. The two were dragons: Milhrio Oster was dark blue and Trelkra Yjeco was dark red.

And Trelkra attacked first. He ignited his fist with blue fire and punched Milhrio in the guts. This one stepped back before being punched again. He flew right into the wall but got up quickly. He then turned around of his adversary. He was fast. But not fast enough because he was touched by the fire once again. He groaned but he jumped on his adversary right after being touched. His claws were out and he hit the jaw. Blood began to get out and Yjeco tried to fight back but it was too late: Oster took him by the neck and made him hit the ground before strangling him with strength. The strangulation was long and, finally...

Finally, Milhrio Oster won without even using his element.

Pause then the next fight.

Lœg versus Helch, an Electricity dragon versus an Earth one. The first one was here to help his entire family to eat, the second, he, was fighting for a really good friend of him (even if, I will be honest, _she_ was more than just a friend).

The presentations were done and the fight began.

Lœg used his electricity on Helch, who didn't have the time to dodge. He took all in his chest and pain was great. He tried to fight back but Lœg used again his electricity and the beam touched the head and penetrated to the brain. Mortally.

Lœg won. And the day was over. Every fighters had to return to their room.

Unlike the last night, Qualt didn't have any visitor and it passed without anything special happening.

* * *

The sun got up high in the sky, even if they couldn't see it because they were underground.

And the third day began...


	19. Chapter XVII : The Third Day

And the third day began, the arena lost into darkness. But the lights quickly went and Bourgoistic was at the center of the arena. He was looking at the ground, to see if they properly cleaned it. Behind him, a bear with a monocle was smoking a long cigarette.

"Please, don't smoke, don't ruin the ground..." said Bourgoistic, annoyed.

"Oh, don't worry, my dear, I have a little bag for the ashes."

"Your money bag?"

"Ah... Ah... No... Yes. But it's a special little pocket. You know, ashes are good for my plant."

"Oh, okay. Didn't know you have a plant."

"Normal, I didn't talk about it. So, what about the bets?"

"The two last days were _vraiment_ entertaining and I feel that this one is going to be as well. And, for the bets? Hmmm... It's going to be a hard choice, even if I have my hypothesis on the two finalist."

"And who are they?"

Bourgoistic turned towards Money Bag and, with a smile:

"Oh, I think you know..."

* * *

The Earth Dragon fell on the ground.

"And the winner is... Uogh! _Bravo! Très beau combat!_"

Qualt was warming himself up: it was going to be his turn. His adversary, here, was the young cheetah. He didn't want to enter the arena. He knew that he was going to kill him. This kid was maybe strong but his experience in this fight wasn't enough. He watched him and he saw that some of his placements, some of his moves too, were not really good and so his equilibrium could be lethal for him. He could make too many false moves. And for fuck's sake! It was just a child!

But no time to think and to complain anymore: now was the time to enter the arena and to fight.

And so he did it, putting his paws on the ground under the eyes of Gloria and under the eyes of the mother of the cheetah he was going to kill. The crocodile made the presentations and the young cheetah entered.

Presentations once again (even if the public knew the two fighters) and the brawl began.

Qualt took one of his dagger-horn at his right paw and was ready to defend himself against the Œl's bastard sword. He was bigger than the cheetah and this last was a bit impressed just as scared. But he had an advantage: Œl was faster and so his strikes would be deadly. His attention had to really be focused on it. Therefore, he was on his guards.

Œl attacked first and tried to slash Qualt! He made a horizontal move and Ironhorns had difficulties to parry. But he did parry. So he tried to punch the cheetah in the guts with his free paw but he dodged by jumping back! It was a good opportunity for the ice dragon to use his element and a cool beam touched Œl! It created damages but it wasn't enough: the sword took the majority. Now, it was bigger, heavier, so the cheetah had to hold it with his two hands. This one attacked again! He made a powerful move that destabilized Ironhorns! He tried another move but Qualt crouched and took the other dagger to parry! Now that his adversary was very close, he used his tail and pull him onto the ground! He then got up and threw his sword away before putting one of his dagger under the Œl's throat.

The two looked at each other right into the eyes. One was scared and desperate, knowing his fate, while the other was cold and extremely sorry at the same time.

And the public yelled.

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

Qualt took a big inspiration.

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

And he stood paralyzed while the screams of the public resonated in his head. But with another voice...

"Kill... Kill... Kill..."

His eyes were now livid! He tried but failed to move... He heard voices, whispers...

"Kill... Kill... Kill..."

Just as if Madness itself was right behind him, holding his dagger and whispering those terrible words.

No... No! He didn't want to end like this! He didn't want to end like this darker! He didn't want to be as monstrous as the one he called Myst!

"Kill... Kill... Kill..."

"_**NO!**_" he yelled!

He planted his dagger on the ground and a deadly silence surrounded him. The public was shocked.

Ironhorns was sweating and his breath was jerky.

"I won't kill him!"

He, then, got away from Œl taking and putting back the daggers to their place, to make them horns again. And he turned his head into the Bourgoistic's direction to see his dark look. But he didn't care: he preferred death rather than ending like a darker. So he moved to the gate and, with a grave and threatening voice, he said:

"Open it."

A silence...

"_Open it!_"

A blue aura appeared in his mouth and the gate was, a few second after, open.

So he went to his chamber, preferring to be all alone, not daring to watch the other fights and not daring to look at Gloria or at the Œl's mother... or even at Bourgoistic once again this day. But, of what he was sure of, he had to be careful now.

He learn later that day that he was the true winner of the fight. And he heard of the two other brawls.

So the semi-final would be Uogh versus him... and Martin versus Milhrio.


	20. ChapterXVIII Don't mess with Bourgoistic

Two blue eyes were in the darkness, silently watching. He was used to hide and observe. It was a bit part of his job, after all. Plus, the colour of his scales was really helping him for that. But, here, it wasn't for his job. No, here, it was personal. And it wasn't to do what he does while working.

No, it wasn't to kill…

The opposite.

Then, he heard noises coming from the left. And he saw them. He saw them and knew which road they were going to take. So he followed them, still in the shadows, slow and steady.

And he let them do what they had to do once they were in front of the door...

* * *

Qualt couldn't sleep and was thinking, alone. He was almost ashamed to be here just by vengeance. He was ashamed of what he could have done to the kid at the end of the fight. But he wanted to kill this _fucking_ darker! It was an obsession, to avenge his sister and the rest of his team. He even was curious about this one. Especially after what Doug Harmot told him, for this dragon in the castle that the darker, Usvork, if he correctly remember the name, seemed to not attack. But why? He wanted to know that too. But he wanted to kill the darker in priority.

"Kill... Kill... Kill..."

He opened his eyes and almost screamed! He looked all around him before realising...

_He_ was the one who whispered that, just like if he was becoming what he wanted to destroy.

"Fuck..."

He was doubting about himself, his two front paws on his forehead. He didn't want to be a murderer. He didn't want to become a monster like Usvork.

But, at the same time, it almost was one of the lonely solution to finally come back and kill this darker: to become a murderer, to become like him.

"Fucking Bourgoistic... I didn't sign up for this fucking shit!"

Yes, it all was _his_ fault. That fucking crocodile just fucked all of them by adding this surprise condition. And for what? Entertainment? Fuck him! He had the impression that this crocodile was more terrible than Usvork. He so wanted to take him at the neck and to strangle him, to make him see his death into the eyes! Oh! He didn't want to become a monster... but, for him, even the most violent and disgusting serial killers wouldn't dare to do what he wanted to do to him!

And something interrupted his thoughts.

He heard something behind his door.

He hear _someone_.

A groan. A groan of pain. He could recognize it without any doubt.

He ran at his door and then heard quick footsteps. He opened it and, in front of him...

Œl was on the ground.

He was alive but... but he had a knife planted in the chest. And the knife was also going through a piece of paper on which was written this:

**Don't mess with Bourgoistic**

**Or you will be**

**next.**

Œl was looking at him, suffering. Tears could be seen on his jaw because of the pain just. Moans of lamentation came out from his mouth.

"Ssssh..." whispered Qualt to the young cheetah. "You'll be okay... You'll be okay..."

He looked all around him... but it was in vain. He knew it. Who would possibly help him...

Then, he looked at the wound. And he checked the pulse. It was still continuing but it was really fast.

Œl's breath was more and more jerky.

And Ironhorns sighed: there was still a chance... but he would...

"Need some help?"

It was coming from behind him.

He turned the head...

And saw Milhrio Oster in front of him.

"What the fuck are you doing he..."

"No time to explain. They are searching his mother to bring her here, in front of her son."

He went right in front of Œl to look closely at the wound and smiled.

"Excuse me... but it's gonna sting a little."

And he brutally took the knife off. The young cheetah yelled. Then the dark blue dragon put his free paw on the wound.

"Now, stop moving. You, iron horns, hold him."

"But why... what..."

"Later."

The cheetah began to wiggle and, after a moment, Oster putted his paw off from him. And the surprising thing was that blood wasn't coming from the wound.

"Now. I did what I could. They approach, I feel it. The mother will take her son to go out. You will whisper to her, when she will take him, to go at the Doug Harmot's house."

"Him?"

"He has the skills to save this boy. And tell her that I am the sender."

He turned his head and...

"Shit! They're almost here. Kiddo, time for you to play the dead. And time for me to disappear!"

And he went back into the shadows, letting Qualt and Œl alone. This last, so, did what Oster told him to do.

Then, he saw Bourgoistic's men coming with the mother of the child. They threw her while saying that he was now dead and she screamed when she saw Œl. She ran into his direction, threatening Qualt with many names (too many, to be honest), and when she was close to the cheetah and the dragon, he whispered to go see Doug Harmot because he was able save him and to say that the senders were Oster and Ironhorns.

"Oh! And cover the wound. They will find it weird that it doesn't bleed."

She nodded and took his son before going out, greeted by a message from Bourgoistic when she took the exit door: "_We hope that you enjoyed the show."_

And Qualt was alone, once again. He looked around him and sighed.

_What the fuck just happened?_ He thought.

Then...

"So you know Douggy too."

He jumped because the voice was right behind him.

"Geez! Fuck man, stop doing that! I almost got a heart attack..."

He expired and added right after:

"Yeah. I know the mole too."

"I see."

"But... how and why the fuck you went here?"

"Being sneaky is part of my job."

"Ah?"

"Yeah. I'm an assassin."

"Ah! But, don't you think it will be useless for the cheetah after that crocodile will find out he is still alive?"

"Nah! That's not messing with him, to survive to that kind of attack. He will more applaud than anything."

"You seem to know a lot about him."

"I have worked for him one or two times."

"Oh, that explains some things. But, wait... what did you do to that kid?"

"That? Oh, I stabilized him temporary, until he arrives at Douggy's house."

"Yeah but how? You just put your paw on the wound and, _poof!_ stabilized!"

"From what I know of you, you should be able to guess."

Qualt thought about it and one detail jumped in his head: the wound wasn't bleeding anymore.

"Oh... I think I know, yeah."

"So, since we are going to fight each other in finale..."

"You seem really confident in that sentence."

"I do, indeed. I even bet that Bourgoistic and Money Bag are also betting on us. So, since we will fight each other in finale, how about just knowing a bit each other? Would be fun."

"I don't like the idea of befriending someone that will probably kill you or that you will probably kill... Plus, it will give you more chances to be killed by me if I know lots of things about y..."

"Screw that! The fight will just be more exciting with that."

"Sooo you don't care about dying...?"

"I do. But I prefer fighting with honour, especially when it's public. I've been killing in the shadows for too long."

"I see..."

"But for that, you'll also need to tell me your story."

"Obviously..."

"I've heard lots of things concerning your case, recently."

"Well, for that, eh eh! It's just that I have been more active those last weeks... But, if you don't mind, enter in my room, we will have more place to sit and we will be more comfortable."

"Okay."

And so they entered. They sat down. Ironhorns was the first to talk about him. Since you already know the principal about him, I will just tell you what you probably didn't know. So, first, he told him that he had a normal childhood, even if he was a bit of a lonely child. Then, he, with his dead sister, went into the Warfang's army because their parents, really old school ones, wanted to (and, talking about them, he thought about what could have been their reaction, if they were alive, about the fact that his new wife was named _Gloria_... Yeah, they probably would have like spat on him because "it's disgusting to hang out like that with a dragoness with the same name of your sister!"). Then, they stayed in the army because, well, it was their life and their education inked in their mind the idea that "they had to protect Warfang against Evil". At the beginning, it was against the Malefor's army and the Ironhorns' wide, named Siri, was killed during a battle where Gaul was (she even was killed by him), leaving Qualt alone with one egg they had together right after a battle day where they were victorious, one egg that hatched few days after the Siri's death and that Ironhorns educated alone and named Alexandre. After that, you know everything that happened to the world and to Warfang, Qualt lived a normal 2nd Class life, enduring the death of his two parents because the mother caught some serious illness and because the father was killed by... well, he still didn't know. Then came the famous Warfang Attack by the Spyro's army. And you already know what followed that for Qualt.

"Your turn now", then said Ironhorns to Milhrio.

"You respected your part so I'll respect mine."

* * *

_Well, first of all, I always lived in the District. I worked sometime outside of here, but the 3__rd__ Class Zone is what I always called "home". But things always got a bit... __hectic__ for me._

_ At first, well, I discovered my elemental power when I was quite young, to be honest. I was, like, twelve years old when I lost my parents._

_ Quite funny that I don't really remember how they looked, since I'm the one who killed them._

_ Yes, you heard well, I am the one who killed them. They were violent with me, they were beating me, especially my father and especially when he came back drunk. "It's for your own good", they said, "you'll be stronger later, you'll see." And, you know what? They were quite right._

_ So, when I was twelve, well, shit happened and I couldn't control myself. I killed them and I took pleasure because, well, it was a true relief when I was doing that, just like if I was those justicemen in the stories my young friends told me. I thought I was doing something good._

_ So I first crushed the skull of my mother and, after that, I waited for my father to come back. That's when I discovered I could make the spilled blood move on the ground. Passed the surprise, an idea came to my head: writing something with the strain. And so I planed something._

_ My father, so, had a little surprise when he saw written right next to her wife this: "behind you". Yes, I know, it's not original, but I was young, at that time, and this was still effective because, when he turned his head, I jumped and slashed his throat._

_ I stood a moment, contemplating what I've done... when I realized what I've done. Indeed, it was the first time I murdered somebody and, well, I had nowhere to go. But I had to run away from my home. And that's what I did. I just fled and ran through the streets in the night. It was dangerous, yes, but I had a chance to survive because, I am not a fool, but, if I stood, it was death for me, one hundred percent!_

_ And so, for the two next years, I lived by myself, stealing my food. I learned the hard life and, one day, I was found stealing the wrong person... even if, now, I don't if the word "wrong" is the good one because the dragon spared me and even began to train me to work for him (because he didn't spare me for free, what did you expect!). I then began my assassin's job, always in the shadow and training little by little my control about my blood's element. To be honest with you, at one moment, I made people think that my assassinations where natural death, like a heart attack or even an intern haemorrhage at the brain part._

_ Then my boss got killed and I worked for many people. In them was Bourgoistic. And it even was the first time I got out of here for one moment. And because I did my job well, well, I did more things for the crocodile. I even did one or two murders for the bear._

_ Why didn't I get out of here if I worked for the two of them, you may ask? Because those two **bastards** didn't pay me enough to really start a new life out of the 3rd Class Zone._

_ But one day, when I had some free time, I discovered a really injured dragon, wounded after a Gang's battle. He was praying for help so I helped him. I stopped the haemorrhage and sent him to Douggy, because I already knew him. And oh the feeling I had when I saved someone! It was amazing! It was like if I was those justicemen in the stories my young friends told me._

_ That's why I saved the young cheetah._

_ So, next to my assassin's job, I healed some victims, in the shadows, in the 3rd Class Zone._

_ Now, I have enough of being a simple murderer. Of being a vulgar assassin._

_ Now, I just want to do what really matters for me: saving lives. Being a doctor. And I already have the bases with what Doug taught me!_

_ Now, I just want to start a new life._

_ And that's why I'm here, to start a new life with the money of the tournament. And I even planed to offer some moneys to Doug for everything he did for me. He didn't know I was fighting here, so I wanted to give him a little surprise._

_ Too bad the surprise is a young cheetah to save, eh?_

* * *

"So, yeah, now that we pretty know each other, at least each other's personal, I think it's time for me to go because the night is pretty much advanced. And, if we want to win the tomorrow's fights, well, I think it's better for us to take some sleep. So, yeah, goodbye and see you in finale."

"Even if we are not sure that we both will be in finale, goodbye and see ya in finale, I guess... even if we will be watching each other's fight, I guess."

"True. Anyway, I bid you farewell."

And he got out and came back into the shadows to return to his own chamber.

"What a strange character..." mumbled Qualt when he was alone, feeling some sympathy for Oster at the same time. "Well, I guess he's right. Time for me to sleep!"

And he got to the bed and slept for... four hours before waking up and preparing himself to fight, really needing a coffee at the same time…


	21. Chapter XIX : The Semi-Finale

So, where were we? Oh, yes, here. Wow, been a long time, almost as long as the production of a Harry Partrige's animation. Maybe the newcomers to the story won't really notice this but it's been seven month that no chapter was written: some are beginning to lose patience and to point me with a gun just for having the story continuing (or they just don't care and think that I'm dead or that I abandoned the novel, anyway). I shall be thankful I'm not a professional and that I have not a limited time to write it for, like, a fanzine or a pulp! But here it is! Here's what follows in the Ironhorns' story…

* * *

After Qualt grumbled because the Distric didn't have coffee, he made some physical exercises as warm up and prepared himself: he was the first to fight today, after all. It was going to be against the mole. And Ironhorns wasn't the type of dragon to say that it was going to be an easy fight. No, he saw that his adversary was really fast and had a good agility so he had to stay warned and to don't underestimate him. But he had an advantage that the Uogh's victims didn't have: he had daggers with his horns and so he could parry with them. His dragon's strength against the mole's one was making that possible.

And this time, he knew that, if he wanted to go in finale, he had to kill again. Then, after the mole, the sympathetic assassin… Sympathetic, yeah. That was too bad he had to do it…

He had to kill, kill and kill again. That's how's life, after all, right?

… right?

Then he was called to go into the arena. The fight was about to begin.

"For the semi-finale, this morning, we will have two _combats_! And here is our first one, ladies and gentlemen. Now, _accueillez_ in the arena Uogh… and Ironhorns!"

Qualt entered under the applauses. He wasn't smiling, at the opposite of his adversary. No, it was more like a serious face… or a resignation face. He took his breath and sighed while putting himself in position. The mole was ready with her sword.

One of the two had to die today.

"Ready… Set…"

The ice dragon prepared himself to rush on Uogh, one of his front paws on one of his horns…

"FIGHT!"

He jumped! His horn-dagger was out. The mole saw that coming and decided to strike too. The two blades hit each other in a metallic clatter! The mole tried to strike back but Qualt took his other dagger and parried.

Then he swung his arm to slash but the mole jumped. This last, his sword in his two hands high in the air, tried to hit with power the dragon! But he dodged. Then Qualt crouched and jumped back because the mole, with two fast movements, almost hacked his flesh.

He now was close to a wall. And the mole rushed on him. He parried again exchanged the place. Then, thanks to the wall, Uogh jumped on him.

And Qualt had to react quickly…

He saw his chance!

He still had his daggers in his paws. So he threw his right one.

And the mole felt on him.

Mortally injured.

Uogh, then, fell from him, right on the ground and his back. The dagger was planted right below his throat. Qualt went closer to him and took in his paw the dagger. Then he looked his victim in the eyes and sighed.

"Well fought..."

And he finished the mole with a bloody and quick move. His horn was now tainted with scarlet.

"And the winner is… Qualt IRONHORNS! _Bravo! Très joli combat!_"

Qualt looked at the crocodile and he saw him with the bear. This last was receiving with a great smile some money from Bourgoistic.

* * *

Qualt was now next to Gloria.

"You fought well, honey. Now, you just have the finale and the darker to fight."

"Yeah… I fucking have enough of killing here."

"Understandable. But, trust me, when you lived in the District for years, you don't put too much importance in life."

"Yeah", added Troth, that heard it and came closer to the couple. "Like, I'm twenty-three now but will I live to see twenty-four? The way things is goin' I don't know."

Qualt looked at him and…

"Did you just make a fucking reference?"

"Yeah, you know this poem? Uh! Didn't know it crossed the Zone."

The blue dragon sighed.

"Anyway, the fight will soon begin."

"Yeah, let's get closer to the arena", added Gloria.

"I already know who's gonna win, anyway."

"You do?" asked Troth.

And Gloria answered.

"Yeah, it's obvious. It's a fucking assassin. I remembered him yesterday. Don't you remember he did a job for my ex-husband?"

"Oooooh, that's him? So, yeah, he's definitely going to win. Plus his adversary is just a cocky bitch. He's gonna show him who has the most balls, that's for sure, ah ah! But, you, Gloria, you already knew it. Not you, Ironhorns, so how do you know."

Qualt smiled a little.

"Well… Maybe I had some additional infos on him… personally. But shhhhh."

"Wha-"

"Shhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

"Oh… I see."

"So yeah, we already know what will be the finale", then said Gloria.

"Totally."

And they then were close to the arena, where they could see the fight. They waited in the ambient noise as the lights were more and more focused on the place where the next murder was going to be.

They stood still… and then, they heard a voice behind them.

"My, my, Gloria… It's been a while."

They all three turned their head while the voice of the crocodile began to be heard. And what they saw was an anthropomorphic female form.

She had long black hairs which were messed up, were going in every ways… even if that wasn't a default because it mashed beautifully up with her face. Her lips were blood-red and she had jewellery bracelets and rings at her fingers. Her clothes really made her what we call a bohemian style. She was smoking. And, by the way, you also could see her entire two legs that were finishing with hooves.

She, indeed, was a faun.

And Gloria recognized her.

"Oh, Elora! Indeed, it's been a while. What you're doing here?"

"Oh, you know..."

She took a puff on her cigarette and continued:

"I'm just doing my job."

And the fight began. Martin was rushing on Milhrio.

"So, who's your client today?"

"Oh, you'll see once the fight is over. And I'm pretty sure you know him already."

Milhrio dodged and pushed with his shoulder his adversary.

Elora, meanwhile, came closer to the group.

"So, what about you, Gloria? What are you doing here with those two? Oh, hello mister Ironhorns..." she said with a flirting voice.

"Don't fucking touch him, he's mine."

"Oh? I see, eh eh!"

"I'm here to assist him."

"And what about you, green dragon? Green muscular and sexy dragon?"

"Oh! I? Uh… I'm here to… watch the show and..."

The faun was now extremely close to him and Gloria laughed.

"Come on, Troth, don't be shy with her. She's great at her job. It's not like you're the kind of dragon to ask before taking", she added with a point of tartness in her words at the end.

"Come on", added the faun, "I know you can be a good client."

Meanwhile, Qualt's attention was focused on the fight. The dark blue dragon took the cheetah by the neck and raised him and pushed him on the wall. And he used his strength to strangle him. His adversary tried to fight back… but it was in vain. So, to end it quickly, the assassin broke his neck.

"And the winner is… Milhrio OSTER! _Bravo! Très joli combat! _So, ladies and gentlemen, you know what it means? It means that the finale will be with Milhrio Oster and Qualt Ironhorns! And the fight… will be this afternoon. So, fighters, rest well until this afternoon..."

Qualt turned around to look at his group. Elora was closer than ever to Troth. This one finally accepted the deal. So, as the faun was beginning to give him some caresses, she said.

"Oh, yes, I'm sure you will be a veeeery good client, my dear. Oh, yes! But not now… My other client still need to be satisfied first..."

She turned her head and…

"Oh, and, speaking of the devil, he's coming, I see him in the distance."

And she took a step back from the green dragon while the three others tried to look and to spot where that client would be.

And they were a bit surprised when they saw who he was…

"You!" said Gloria… and Money Bag at the same time as Elora was coming closer to him.

Gloria remembered him for what happened few years ago with the Gang… and the bear, him, remembered her for the last time they met close to the arena and she gave her a bad bet. But, when he looked closer at her, she seamed similar for him…

"See, Gloria? Told you you already know him", said Elora while going close to Money Bag.

Then, the bear remembered.

"You… You were from the Ghort Gang, didn't you?"

"Yes."

"Ooooh, I remember now. It's been a while. So, how the business is doing? I've heard that your husband had a really happy ending."

While Troth was groaning and was ready to jump on the bear, Gloria answered:

"You fucking shitty pricky cunty ass-"

"Oh, don't be so rude, dragoness. And you, green dragon, don't try to jump on me… One single claw on me… and you are all dead and cold. Hello, Qualt Ironhorns. It is nice to see you. I knew you would win the fight against the mole."

"You're lucky to be with the fucking crocodile… Or I swear, I would have killed you right here and right now."

"Oh, so you like the crocodile? He didn't bet on you for the last fight, though. That's because I betted on you first."

"No. The crocodile is just the one who has the money for me. But I swear by the Ancestors that you AND the crocodile will pay..."

"Such bravery in those words, dragon. I am impressed", he answered with a chuckle. "Anyway, as you can see, I have something to do… And I love when the work is well done", he added while looking at Elora with a satisfied grin. "I will see you this afternoon, my dear, for the fight. But, first, I have a lunch to take..."

And both of them, the bear and the faun, left the three dragons, Elora making seducing move of her hand in direction of Troth at the same time.

Qualt looked at Gloria and the green dragon and both of the two did the same.

"Well, that happened..." said Ironhorns.

"Yeah..." added Troth.

"You should go to lunch too, honey."

"But I can't..."

"I mean a real lunch, you dork. Go eat something and rest a little before the finale against Milhrio Oster."

"Okay, I guess that's the right thing to do."

"You doubting of what I'm saying?"

"No!"

"Then go, my dear."

And she languidly kissed him, maybe for the last time, before leaving him.

Troth looked at the ice dragon and, before leaving too, he said:

"Good luck for the fight, dude. If you loose, it's been a pleasure to meet you."

Then, he was alone…

* * *

After a quick lunch and a pause, Qualt Ironhorns entered once again in the arena. And it was with regret that he took a step in. In front of him was the assassin.

The two looked at each other, determined.

And the Bourgoistic's voice resonated.

"_Bienvenue_ for the finale of the magnificent Tournament! How beautiful the fights were! How bloody also! All those fighters that couldn't make it and that paid it with the price of their life! And now, we only have Qualt Ironhorns and Milhrio Oster, two extremely great warriors. And it has been extremely entertaining..."

The two dragons began to turn around each other…

"And, for such entertainment, I believe that they should be rewarded. They _both_ should be rewarded. Therefore, we're going to make a slight change to the rule of the Tournament."

Qualt and Milhrio stopped and looked at the crocodile.

"So, for all of that, _messieurs_, you're not going to fight each other anymore!"

Ironhorns and Oster looked at each other with a great relief. They were so happy of what they were hearing!

"No… But you're going to fight side by side today. Indeed, during this fight, both of you will fight against Alagar, _notre __d__arker!_"


	22. Chapter XX : Alagar

The two dragons embraced each other. It was such a good news to know that they weren't going to kill each other anymore! And, most of all, it also was great to know that he wasn't going to kill the darker by his own, that he was going to be helped. And he didn't care if he had to spare the money: he just needed some money to get out of Warfang.

"You might get ready now, fighters..."

Mister Bourgoistic pushed a button next to him and, a few seconds after, pant of the arena's wall got down, letting a big hole that let to a dark and long corridor.

"Now, release Alagar!"

And a long silence came. Even the public didn't say a word. Finally the fight against the darker was going to happen! Finally some were going to see the darker! Finally the true final was there! Finally!

Then, a metallic noise, like if a big cage was opened, resonated through the dark corridor... And a guttural groan… A step… and another…

They all retained their breath… All except Bourgoistic, Money Bag, Oster and Ironhorns. This last was even more ready than ever…

And the steps became more and more fast and audible. Another guttural groan!

"It has been a great tournament. But now's the final. So, Oster, Ironhorns, you know what to do..."

He smiled before finishing:

"Kill! KILL! _KILL!"_

Qualt looked at the corridor… and could see a form coming closer. A big form.

"I think that the fact we're two is good, seeing what's coming", said the assassin.

"Yyyup!"

The steps resonated and they were heavy and becoming louder and louder. In the darkness, the form became more and more distinct. And Qualt and Oster could, then, see two shiny and terrifying mad and yellow eyes. And the darker roared and rushed when he saw his two new preys!

The two dragons put themselves in position, Oster ready to use his claws and fangs, and Qualt the paw on one of his horns.

"Come here, you fucking darker..." he murmured.

And he came into the light, where everyone could see him. He was twice as big and muscular as a normal dragon, with lots and lots of dark yellow scars on his entire sombre scarlet body: on his tail, his legs, near his terrifying claws, his chest, his wings, his head… Multiple horns were coming from his chin, just as his arms and his sides. He spread his lips in a smile, letting everyone see his sharp and dirty fangs. Then, in the Qualt's head resonated the fatidic word…

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome in the arena… _ALAGAR_!"

And the whole public became noisy again.

Ironhorns took out the dagger he was holding.

"Ready?" he said to his companion.

"Let's kill some darker!" answered Oster.

Then Alagar rushed on them, a dark orange aura in his mouth. And, once he was close to them, he vomited his dark fire. Oster dodged. Qualt protected himself by creating with his free paw a shield of ice. It worked… but he still got touched by the fire at the end. And it was extremely painful. But that didn't stop him. Indeed, after the darker stopped spiting his fire, the ice dragon jumped on him with the intention to stab him. The darker saw that and tried to slash him. Qualt dodged at the last second and could then hit him! He began the move but was interrupted: Alagar, with his other paw, tackled him by the neck to the ground. Then Oster jumped on the darker and punched him on the face, freeing Qualt by the occasion!

Alagar groaned and then was about to use his element on the assassin. But Qualt used his one in the face after quickly getting up! Milhrio rushed on the chest and planted his claws! Then he was repulsed by the strength of his adversary right into the wall. This let the time to Ironhorns to create a gauntlet of ice and to jump on him! And he touched the right place: the horns on the chin were now broken! Alagar yelled but then took the ice dragon in his claws and violently threw him on the assassin! With the brutal landing, Qualt let out his iron horn on the ground.

Both, then, got up with difficulies after that but they were still okay. Unfortunately, the darker was now really close. He took the ice dragon by the throat and an aura came in his dark red arm. And it began to be hot… and hotter. Qualt groaned for the terrible pain it was causing him. But he took his other dagger and planted it on the Alagar's left front paw! This one, by that, let him, and the assassin took the other ice dragon dagger-horn and planted it near the other and began to slash the arm! The darker yelled and punched the assassin to the ground as his yellow blood was slowly flowing on the arm. Qualt took the opportunity and rushed on his daggers to, finally and brutally, hack the paw! Alagar roared and spat his dark fire at the same time on the ice dragon, who couldn't retain the pain and yelled. He also was bleeding. Milhrio, who quickly got up after that, too.

The darker, then, rose in the air with the strength of his wings. So did Ironhorns, after putting his horns back where they had to be, and Oster. And the fight continued. They turned around each other… but Alagar was aggressive and rushed multiple time on the two dragons, using his element on them and vice versa! And, at one moment, Qualt was too slow. Milhrio saw that and rushed on him to push him before the darker close his claws on him! He saved him at the last second, being scratched by the horns on the side a bit deeply, which made the two fall on the ground.

It then was a golden opportunity to the red darker, who smiled and rushed on his preys with a roar! Qualt got up and saw that. He didn't have much time to react. So he created another ice shield to protect him and the assassin. It broke at the impact! And Alagar planted the claws of his last front paw on the Ironhorns' shoulder at the same time, tackling him to the ground. The ice dragon was terribly suffering… but, now that the darker had no more free front paw, he took his right horn-dagger and used his element to create a longer blade. Alagar was, then, about to close his fangs on him.

And he struck!

Yellow blood flowed on his face as the blade was now stuck right into the Alagar's throat.

Qualt Ironhorns, then, moved away before the body could fall on him. And let's say that it was painful when he had to brutally got the claws on his shoulder out. So, after that, he broke the ice, replaced his iron horn and went close to Milrhio Oster to help him getting up.

The silence was now total.

The two were really injured by this fight, they were bleeding a lot, they were feeling dizzy, they were out of breath, they had difficulties to walk…

But they were happy.

They won the fight against Alagar.


	23. Chapter XXI : A well deserved rest

They were in the same room after the fight and they both were exhausted. Their wounds were healed thanks to a few crystals and thanks to the Bourgoistic's personal doctors.

"That was a great fight", said Milhrio, "I'm happy we didn't have to fight each other."

"Yeah, that would have been a shame to kill you", replied Qualt.

"Or to kill you. Fortunately, now that I'll have this money, the old mole will be able to help me more."

"And to help me."

"Yeah, good luck with that darker, by the way."

"Thanks. I just wished I didn't have to kill for that fucking crocodile..."

"That's not how you talk about the ones who help you", said a familiar voice, coming from the door.

They turned their head towards it. It was him, the tournament's organiser. The crocodile. He was caressing his moustache while smiling.

"Qualt and Milhrio, that was a truly magnificent finale that you offered us all."

"I hope you were entertained with all this blood and all those lives that ended", Qualt said with rage.

"Ooooh, go on, spit all your cold words on me", Bourgoistic replied before sitting on the bed where Ironhorns was. "Say everything you want. You won't kill me, nor ice me. You can't. And yet you are two fangs away from me."

His smile was now wide and wild. He was looking at him in the eyes.

Indeed, he was now very close, he could just spit his ice on him, take his iron horns and daggers and plant them into the crocodile's throat, strangle him, eviscerate him… He could make him suffer, he could kill him in just a few seconds. But he was right, he couldn't do it. He needed the gold. He needed to kill Usvork, to avenge his team and mostly his sister.

So he lowered his eyes…

"_Très bien_. I knew you were a reasonable dragon, my dear Qualt."

He gave him two small slaps, like if he was his child.

"I can't kill you now but I promise I'll come back for you after", said the ice dragon.

"That's just cute. Maybe I'll have a word with Foudre about such insubordination coming out from you. It would be a shame, really, if he knows you are not someone we can put trust into. Just after having the detective's job! Or I can just tell him that you participated to my game."

Ironhorns retained himself: he wanted to jump on him.

"You maybe are strong, Qualt, but it only takes three words to build someone's life or to destroy it. Most of the time, it is _I love you _for the first and, in your case, _you are fired _for the second."

"You do know that, if I get fired, nothing will hold me back to find you and then kill you, right?"

"Yes, but you don't want to take that risk, _n'est-ce pas_?"

There was a long pause, a long silence.

"That's what I thought", replied the crocodile. "And you, Milhrio", he continued while going near him and sitting on the assassin's bed, "I hope you'll remember who helped you when you were in need, when you had no money left and that you really had to eat. I hope you'll remember the good Money Bag and the great Bourgoistic. And I hope you won't forget who made this tournament and who gave you the money at the end, to help you once again."

"I will", he said, knowing he really couldn't reply anything else in front of him.

"Indeed, you will. And maybe I'll need you and your skills, one day. So don't forget."

He got up and began to get out of the room. Then, before passing the door:

"And I hope you _both_ won't forget who let you _both_ fight the darker instead of each other during the finale. If you do, oh, don't worry, I know how I'll help you with those memory troubles... _Au revoir et à bientôt!_"

And he closed the door.

* * *

The next day, a well dressed tiger entered the room where Qualt and Milhrio were, whom health was now completely restored. In his hands were two huge bags of gold. There was no need for words to know why he had that and why he was here with them but it still was a question of politeness to say what he had to say:

"Here is the reward for the tournament. The same amount of gold is in each bag. But you have more that what the reward first was: Money Bag participated and gave you a bit more for the pleasure he found in the show. Now that you have the bags, you both can get out of here. Master Bourgoistic was glad to have you in his game and he hopes you have a good day. Now, follow me."

* * *

"I wonder how's the young cheetah is going right now, if the mole helped him recover."

"Don't worry, I did not sent him to Douggy for nothing. I'm sure he took great care of him."

"Well, only one way to find out."

They just got outside the two dragons had this short discussion. Then, Qualt looked around and added:

"And I also wonder where Glo-"

He did not have the time to finish that a red dragonness jumped on him and hugged him:

"I'm so glad you made it alive, I was worried..."

As you probably recognized her, reader, it was Gloria.

"I think I would have been pissed if I was dead", he replied with a smile.

She took a step backward when she finished and turned towards Oster.

"It's nice to see you, Milhrio. I remember you were a very good assassin when you worked for my ex-husband."

"Yeah… but, now, I will try to get away from that job and that place."

"Understandable. Way too much understandable."

"Speaking of getting out of this place, how about going to Harmot's house?"

They were over there in no time, like five or ten minutes. They knocked at the door and waited a few seconds before the mole's voice could be heard:

"Oh, it's you three. Come in, enter."

And they entered.

"I was surprised when I learned about the finale. I thought that one of you was going to die and, in either way, I would have been really sad. Mostly if Mil would have died, sorry Ironhorns. But I am glad that the old Bourgoistic decided to twist a bit his rules. Oh! And about the cheetah you sent me, Œl, he's fine. He just needs to rest. If you want to see him, you can see him, he's in my rest room. Mil, you know where it is, I'll let you guide them. But there also is another person in the room, someone that I also had to take care of, ah ah! A coffee?"

"I would love to", replied the dark blue dragon.

"Same", then said Gloria and Qualt.

"Then I'll go prepare it. I will be back with them in the rest room."

And Oster guided them towards it. He knocked on the door before entering. They could see the cheetah on a bed. This one got up and went into a sitting position. Behind him, there was a white curtain separating the two injured. Œl, then, tried to stood up with difficulties while saying:

"You are my saviours, my mother and I can't thank you enough for what you did for me."

He was about to fall but Milhrio caught him and putted him on his bed.

"Don't worry about that, kid. I did what I had to do. Plus, it's mostly Doug that you shall thank."

"And I didn't want to kill a child", added Ironhorns.

And then came a really familiar voice:

"Qualt?"

It was coming from behind the curtain. The ice dragon went towards it, then beyond it and saw…

… and saw non other than Drer, covered in white bandages!

"What the fuck are you doing here!" Qualt said, retaining a laugh.

"Guess everytime we're gonna meet up when something is over is in the hospital, eh? Even if it isn't really a hospital", he replied, not retaining his giggle.

Ironhorns went right next to him.

"Maybe, indeed, ah ah! But _how _the fuck did you got in this situation this time?"

"Well, here, it also was kind of… ridiculous. Now that you know that my element is the sound one, after the fight you did against Alagar, I tried to train myself imitating some stranger voices just after listening one time. I was alone, sitting near a stone stair. And I was practising. I spoke with different voices and I had some difficulties on one. So talked with it again, for one or two minutes. But that's where my fucking luck arrives! Because it looked like the one's voice I was imitating was searched by a group of dragons with no pacific intentions towards him at all. And they passed near me. And they heard me. And they just fucking jumped on me in a second, beating me repetitively before one stopped and said: 'wait, it isn't the one we search, I swear I've heard his voice though'. And they all stopped and got away, leaving me on the ground. Funny how unlucky I am, eh? But, fortunately, I was laying on the ground in front of that place. Like, that mole opened his door and saw me, groaning in pain, asking why all of this was happening to me. Ah! I looked great!"

"Yeah, it's a bit sketchy. At least you did not fall from the roof this time. I'm still happy that you're doing well now."

Laughs were coming next to them: Gloria, Milhrio and Œl apparently found it funny too.

"Well, 'well' is a big word but I'm doing okay now. Oh, can you take that curtain out. I feel isolated with it. And I don't like that, to be honest."

"No prob", he answered while doing it, letting him more easily in sight of everyone.

"Also, hi, cheetah, now that we can talk a bit, I've seen you fight at the tournament. You were great. Glad Qualt decided to not eviscerate you."

"Yeah… Thanks..." he replied, not knowing how to take that compliment with the picture he made in his head, seeing the dagger-horns going right through his chest and then through his guts.

"Coffee's here", suddenly said Doug Harmot, entering the room. "I also made some for you, Œl, and for you, Drer."

* * *

A few minutes after, the cups of coffee were empty. They all joked and really needed to have a good pause after the tournament. Qualt looked at Gloria's eyes… and he knew what was coming for him tonight. Doug scrape off the rest of sugar in his cup with his spoon to lick it. He then said:

"So, Qualt Ironhorns, before you go, we need to plan when we're gonna go outside the field to hunt Usvork."

"In a few days. I really need a break before", he replied, looking at Gloria.

"And I will come with you after that. You can't change my mind, honey", she replied, giving him a gentle kiss on the cheek.

Then, Oster spoke:

"And I'm coming with you."

Qualt looked at him, surprised.

"It's not for you nor your darker. I will come with you to help and protect Douggy. It's just the minimum I can do for him after all he did for me."

And Œl also spoke, while standing up with less difficulties this time:

"You saved me in this tournament, I want to help you in return."

"No, you're going to die, out there, kiddo!" immediately replied Qualt.

"Maybe… But I was going to die in there. And yet I'm still here."

"Think about your mother, for fuck sake! She was relieved when she saw that you survived and now you're gonna put your life in danger once again?"

"You know… I put my life in danger everyday: it's the prize of living in the District. Plus, if it's to help you, my mom would agree. And… it would also be the only time, I think, I'll be able to go outside of the District. Coming with you, here, is something I would dream of..."

The ice dragon sighed and added:

"There's no way I can change your mind, isn't it?"

The cheetah, with a smile, confirmed. And then came another sigh from Qualt.

Finally, Dre said:

"Well, looks like we all will go outside the field hunting a darker in a few days."

"No… Drer, don't tell me you're also..."

"I tell you exactly this."

He then continued, with a more melancholic voice:

"Qualt, even if we know each other since, what? A few weeks? You still are one of the very few friends I've made, if not the only one. I have a boring life and my family isn't the best. Letting me come with you will be the best thing you will be able to do for me, even if I have to die. So, please, don't refuse me this request."

The ice dragon looked at him and, after a long silence... nodded.

"Thank you..." Drer whispered before giving him a hug.

Then, Qualt Ironhorns looked at everybody and said:

"Alright, I hope that all of you in this room will be ready to die in a few day. Because that's what's probably waiting us over there. And, most of all, I hope you'll be ready to see some yellow blood squirt!"


	24. Chapter XXII : Where it all started

_**THIRD BRANCH:**_

_**Into the Woods**_

_The woods were darker as I, Qualt, like my companions, began to be lost…_

* * *

The day they passed the field went quickly as all happened according the plan: the guard got paid and kept his mouth closed and they had enough money to go. Everybody had their equipment, Milhrio and Doug especially, in case of more or less serious injuries. And Qualt brought a notebook, so he could tell himself his own story, without a chance for other to pick it and publish it without his permission. This last's breath was silent and his look afar: deep inside him, he was scared. He feared that the same thing as last time would happen, that they all would get killed. And, before they entered the forest where all began, he looked at everybody and asked if they were sure to continue. And you probably already know the answer, as he already knew it too. So they all penetrated those woods as Ironhorns tried to reassure himself: the situation wasn't the same as last time, after all, they were _hunting _the darker and not trying to avoid it, plus he trained himself before, they were prepared… and they also were now six, not five. Then Qualt's determination took over him: he wasn't scared, here, he _had _to find and kill this darker, to take his revenge of what caused the death of his team, and nothing would stop him to at least try.

It was the only thing that mattered to him, to his life. He swore it in front of his sister's grave.

But now, darkness surrounded them and they brought torches. They could see what was in front of them. They did not know where they were now but it didn't matter. The cheetah could now help by climbing the trees to see where to go, if needed. The ice dragon still took an eye on him: he still was not happy of him going outfield with them and he didn't want to have a child's death on his conscience. His son was enough. They all looked around them.

And night came.

And silence fell.

Qualt's eyes wandered everywhere, searching for any single movement, suspect or not. Sometime, he thought recognizing the place, multiple times he thought here was the place where Freat ended his life on the ground, or where Hyurt pronounced his final words, or where his sister decided to hold the darker in vain, multiple times he thought the cave near them was the one where Earthquake was killed or where his horns were for ever broken. But the truth was that he didn't know where he was. But he didn't care: he was in the right forest and that was the only thing that really mattered for him. Thus he knew that Usvork, or, as he called him, Myst, was maybe around. He could feel it in his guts. And he wanted him to be there, he wanted him to observe his nigh death, his near slaughter. He wanted him to be right next to them, so it would make the task easier and quicker.

He focused on the darker so much that he did not see Gloria putting her paw on his shoulder. He jumped and turn towards her, while she laughed.

"We should try to find a cave or something. Before the night was there, the kid climbed and saw the dark clouds coming. It's going to rain soon", she said.

"Stop calling me 'the kid', please!" replied Œl behind.

"I saw one not so far from here", said Milhrio, "it should be a good shelter."

"Plus", added Doug, "based on our experience with that darker, he should try to find us in there so it will help us."

"Yeah, you're probably right", answered Qualt.

"Then let's quickly go into that cave quickly. I prefer having that darker killing me instead of the weather", said Drer, even going in front of the entire group.

"Wait, Drer, I'll guide ya to it, stay behind me!" replied the blood dragon.

Qualt preferred staying behind to watch and protect the crew's sides and back. Gloria walked next to him. While they walked towards their direction, she said to him:

"You know, I wonder how many memories you have from before, when Warfang was better and when the Purple helped us… It's has been so long..."

"Yeah, even if it was a war against apes, it still was a better time, there was no such separation between the first, second and third class."

"No District… Fuck, what I would give to go back to that time!"

"Yeah. But without the eternal wars against apes, purple dragons and weird creatures like the grublins or the Golem from the Deeps that attacked Warfang… or even that Destroyer."

"Eh eh! It's true that this shit is old. I remember the Guardians. They were four. And they were great dragons. Nothing alike this joke of a princess or queen we have."

"Yeah… I remember them too. Ignitus, Volteer, Cyril and Terrador. When they were in Warfang, I even was a bit trained by the Ice Guardian. He was a bit over the top with how he considered himself but he still was a great guy, I really admired him. He even helped me to fight the creatures and my grief. You know, for the dragoness I loved. They shouldn't have disappeared, they would have helped us a lot. They were the ones who knew Spyro, after all. Especially Ignitus, from what I saw when the Golem attacked. It was sad when he died."

"It was. For Ignitus, I only could see him in the distance, at that time. Or maybe I could have had one or two words with him. But I remember that he putted so much faith in Spyro. I wonder what he would think if he would have seen what he has become."

"I could have talked to him. He had so much faith in him and he also had too much faith into the prophecy, for which a purple dragon would save us. Way too much. Like, when he was talking, sometime, it was 'uuuuuh! The prophecy, blablabla the prophecy, uuuuuuh!' I swear, if that Prophecy was a male dragon, there would have been no wonder why his family name was _Firethroat _for how deep it would have been in it!"

Gloria snorted when he was talking and taking an old voice for Ignitus. And, after a few seconds of silence when he finished, she added:

"It could have been worse."

"Ah?"

"Yeah, his name could have been his father's one: _Assgard _Firethroat, ah ah!"

And Ironhorns couldn't retain his laugh neither, which resonated throughout the woods.

Then resonated something else.

_Brrrrrrrrr…_

Thunder.

A lightning could be seen in the sky, illuminating everything in sight as rain drops fell on everyone, showing what was around them, including the entrance of the cave in front of them.

"Here it is", said Oster, covered by the thunder noise.

Mist began to form all around them as the heath got out from the ground and as the ambient humidity was great.

They quickly entered and went deeper into it. At the beginning, Qualt thought it was the place where Earthquake died. But when they entered a sort of room, he recognized where he was too much. He spent hours here, lying on the ground, his two horns broken and bloody, while he was saying his final goodbye to his sister… He stood at the entrance of the room. He was paralysed, his eyes and his memories wide open, his breath jerky…

"I don't want to be here..." he succeed to say with a lot of difficulties.

Drer was the first to know what was happening.

"Come on, Qualt", he said while going next to him, "you can do it. Even if it will be hard."

He could see tears coming up on the ice dragon's cheeks so he continued:

"Soon enough, we'll see that darker and we beat his ass."

"Hey, I'm with you, honey, don't worry", added Gloria. "And we are all alive. We'll go through this together..."

Meanwhile, the others could see that and decided to stay out of this affair. The cheetah sat, his back on one wall. The mole, though, was ruminating. So the blood dragon asked:

"There's something wrong, Douggy?"

"No… Yes, I fear that the darker won't be the only problem here."

"Ah?"

"You remember when I lost my eye?"

"Yes, and?"

"And there was another dragon, a blue dragon, that the darker did not attacked. I fear it also will be a source of problems..."

"Oh… Yeah, it maybe will be one, we'll have to watch out."

"Though, it might be where we can find Usvork!"

"Where? The castle?"

"Yes, the castle!"

"Yeah, probably. But I think it's better to wait that the rain has stopped before going towards it."

"Indeed. You heard that, the others?" finished the mole, turning his head towards the other dragons.

The three nodded, even Qualt.

"We should rest a bit, maybe sleep a bit, here. We can take turn and wake the others if something suspicious happens", proposed Œl.

The others looked at him so he added:

"What? This is how we do in the District when we want to protect each other in a dangerous place and a dangerous situation!"

"True", answered Milhrio. "Ironhorns, you go first. So you'll be able to sleep a bit after. I feel that you need it."

Qualt still was at the entrance and replied:

"Yeah… I'll watch out."

"Good."

"I'll take the second turn", said Gloria, so she could stay with him.

"Okay, I'll take the third", added Oster.

"And I'll take the fourth", finished Drer.

Thunder and rain drops resonated throughout the entire cave.

"I'll do the fourth with him", immediately said Œl to be with someone during the turn as he was a bit scared of thunder.

"And I'll do… none of them", laughed Doug. "Too old for that!"


	25. Chapter XXIII : Broken

Gloria stood up with Qualt. It was really cold outside and inside and the fire dragoness needed to be sticking to her companion for, at least, some heath, as he wasn't too much affected by the weather. But he was affected by her presence as he also needed her.

"I never thought it was going to be this hard to be here..." he whispered.

"I know what you feel, Qualt. I had the same feeling when I saw Merth Alterio once again. But you know what really helped me?"

"What?"

"It was you. You were next to me and you were therefor me, to _help_ me. Now, let me be there for you just as you did for me."

And he replied by taking her in his arm and huddled against her.

"Thank you…" he answered in sigh, his voice trembling. "For everything..."

She put her arm on his shoulder and then said:

"Don't worry, honey. You also have done everything for me. Oh and, when your turn will be over, try to sleep a little, okay?"

"Okay..."

And she gave him a lovely kiss.

* * *

His breath was regular, appeased. There were noises around him. They were familiar. It felt like… home. He tried to open his eyes. They were heavy but he did succeed to see a thing.

And he recognized one voice. He turned towards it.

It was Gloria.

Not the red one.

He looked around and it was the cave.

He immediately tried to step backward. Tried.

"What's going on, bro? Something's wrong?"

"No…"

"Oh, I was worried for a second."

"No… You're not here, you're not real..."

"Daaaaw, don't say that. I am real. If not..."

He blinked…

And he was in front was the terror.

"… why would I be there just in front of you."

She had her entire face putrefied, rotten, devoured by worms. She had a horrible smile…

"What will you do to me? Will you let me die again? Will you _kill _me? Come on! Do it!"

Mist emerged from her entire body. And her face changed.

"No..." he whispered…

"Go on!"

"No!"

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

He looked around and he saw all his teammates, just as bloody and dislocated as his sister's body. And they joined the choir.

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

He tried to run but his legs and arms were paralysed. They all were right next to him to yell their order.

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

And he recognized other voices. His superior ones, all of them. All those who ordered the fatal work in the battlefield, all those who let him do the dirty job of a soldier, all those who simply gave him orders.

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

Then, instead of Gloria, just in front of his face, was Myst. He whispered with his so monstrous voice:

"Kill… Kill… Kill..."

His breath began to accelerate! He wanted to escape! He tried! Again! And again! The voice continued! Always the same whisper! Always the same order! Always! The same! Kill! Kill! Kill! Nothing else! Always that! Always blood! Always death! Always kill!

...

Rage.

It began to control him.

Everything disappeared.

Everything.

Except a voice.

A different voice.

A familiar voice.

"Kill… Kill… Kill…"

_His_ voice.

* * *

"Qualt! Wake up!"

He opened his eyes and deeply inspired. His breath was jerky.

It took a few seconds to take back his mind.

And when he recognized where he was and when he was, he started sobbing. Gloria, the red one, was next to him. She held him. And he recognized her voice as the one who helped him to get out of that nightmare.

When he could control himself again, he said after a great inspiration and expiration:

"How many time we stood here?"

"An hour. Or two. The storm outside is still here."

"Okay… Thanks… And thank you for waking me up. The nightmare I was having was horrible."

"I could see that", she answered.

"We all could", then said Œl.

And everyone else nodded and said some _yes _or _yeah _or _yep_.

He sighed and looked at the ground.

And he whispered…

"Kill… Kill… Kill…"

"What?" asked Gloria.

"Kill! Kill! Kill! That's all I knew! That's my entire life!"

"What are you talking about?" she said, confused.

And he progressively yelled.

"This word! All my life is based on it! My orders? Kill! Kill! Kill! The war? Kill! Kill! KILL! THAT'S ALL I KNEW! THAT'S ALL I'VE HEARD! ALL DAY! ALL NIGHT! KILL! KILL! KILL!"

And while everybody got confused, Gloria slapped him.

"Now don't go crazy on me, my dear", she said. "I won't accept it! Those are maybe all your orders but does this mean you're just a puppet? A killing machine? No! Fuck no! You are better than that! And when you kill, when you really do, you do it to save lives or to avenge those who were killed. I know it, Qualt. Maybe all of that was your entire life before. But today is different. You understood me?"

He stood silent for a lot of solid seconds. Before finally answering:

"Yeah… I'm sorry… It's just this place and this nightmare I just had. It really got me on the nerves."

"I could see that", she replied with a smile. "We all could."

Qualt, then, got up. He needed to walk and to think to other things. Milhrio and Doug went back playing cards while Drer and Œl were watching the exit of the cave.

He explored a bit the room. And, after a minute, something caught his eyes. He turned his head towards it…

… and rushed to take what he saw.

Then, he slowly putted his right front paw on one of his iron daggers.

What he took, indeed, was his old horns. The broken ones.

Drer saw that and told Œl to continue what he was doing. And he went right next to this broken soul. Qualt remained completely silent.

"Yeah, that's what you told me when we both were in the hospital", Drer said.

"This darker broke me…"

"And maybe there is another dragon, other than the Purples, behind all of that. And indeed they broke you. But look at you. You're beginning to be fixed."

"Yeah… Maybe…"

"Maybe not entirely, there will be traces. But you're in a good way."

"I will only be fixed when that darker and maybe that dragon will be _killed_."

"That's what I like to hear!"

"Hey! The storm stopped!" suddenly said Œl.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" said Milhrio.

Qualt Ironhorns putted his old horns into his bag and, determined, he got out of the cave while replying:

"It's time to complete some unfinished job!"


	26. Chapter XXIV : The Castle

Their claws were covered in wet mud. And the only one that was complaining was Doug Harmot, who immediately asked Milhrio if he could go on his back. As you probably guessed and as Doug knew his friend, he accepted. He then asked to Œl, after a few minutes, to climb up a tree to try to spot a possible castle, telling him the details he could remember. The cheetah nodded and began to go from one branch to another.

When he disappeared, they all had their head up and Qualt said:

"I begin to like this kid."

"I am NOT a kid!" said Œl from the tree.

And, after some laughs, they waited. They only heard his steps on the branches. Then:

"I think I see something! Wait… Is it… Yes! Guys! I know where it is! I'm coming-"

_CRACK!_

_ "_DAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

No time to react! Drer was the first to deploy his wings and to jump while Œl hit another branch and continued to fall.

And when he could be seen, Drer was alright below him. Without a second, he caught him and saved him from death.

"Got you, Œl!" he said.

The cheetah's breath and his heartbeat were quick, his fur all spiky and messed by leave and wood.

"Are you alright, kid?" said Qualt, who was slower than Drer but who still began to fly.

"Yeah… Yeah… I'm alright", he answered. "Thank you..."

He fled down and putted him on the ground. After that, Œl didn't bothered cleaning himself and said:

"Didn't pay attention to the branch. It was too fragile and too slippery because of the humidity… But I know where the castle is. It's over there" he finished by pointing a direction. "But it's a bit far. Maybe we'll be over there in half an hour. Can I stay on your back? I really need to breath a bit, here."

"Ah ah! Don't get used to it like me, kid!" replied Doug, who was on the Oster's back.

"Please! Stop saying that!"

"He he!"

* * *

The old stones had a yellowish and greyish colour at the same time. Some were crackled while others were completely intact, just like if someone was take a good and precise care of them, just like if someone was living here. The castle was big. It maybe belonged to a king or a great lord or baron in a past time. It could easily welcomes hundreds of dragons for important events. After all, as Doug Harmot told Qualt Ironhorns before, this place had a shit ton of corridors. And, to be honest, it really looked like it was a manor at some point. The outside, for a few place, but especially the inside, for the placement of corridors and rooms. Yet, the placement was also really labyrinthine and, if the group could have the story of this place explained, they would have known that this specificity was a fantasy of the architect. It even was the kind of construction for what he was known for, which is why they called him to build up this castle. He even had a great notoriety at that time so calling him to build a castle was a sign of great economical power. It also was strategic: when you were inviting guest that you did not particularly appreciated, you could just lost them in the castle, wandering. And then you could wait the perfect moment to strike.

Œl was really fascinated by just the exterior of the castle, this mix of grandiloquent ruins and a maintained work of art. He was fascinated by this forest and all the panorama he could see: it was the first time he could see what the real world looked like, after all. All he knew before were the messy streets of the District just as the overpopulation, as violence and famine. He never really felt the wind dancing on his fur. He really had this impression of freedom: hunting a darker with a group of trained warriors was less dangerous than living every days as a 3rd Class Citizen. He even took a notebook in which he drew what he could see, what really left an impression on him. He looked closely at the stones, appreciating their placement. And, while the others were making the last preparations, he explored around. He took his notebook and a pen. Then he began to draw the castle. He looked back and then saw Drer.

"We shouldn't be isolated", he said to the cheetah. "It could be really dangerous. That's why I'm gonna keep an eye on you."

"Yeah, it's probably a good idea."

"No, it's just how we do to survive."

"Yeah..."

Œl continued to go around the castle. But when he passed one side, he could see, meters away, that the ground suddenly went way way lower than he thought, almost like if, at the end, was the void. But there was ground. Yet, if someone would fall, it would be lethal. Indeed, they were dozens and dozens of meters high. Just like if they were on the pic of a mountain.

Speaking of mountain, the view in front of him was unobstructed and he could see a magnificent scenery, lightened by the two moons. There were mountains that mist and clouds were sensually caressing while floating, there were rivers and ruins, valleys and volcanos, fogs and forests. It was like an old dreamed painted picture.

In front of him, simply, was the world.

So he quickly sketched what ha was seeing, while Drer was also admiring the view. This last looked up, at the windows.

And it seemed he could see forms behind one of them, just as if he was observed. And, while focusing on this…

… he could see two yellow glowing eyes looking right at him, like a cat watching a bird outside, impatient to put his teeth on his prey. And there was something behind him, something also watching, observing.

He panicked and did not took the time to question what was happening or why they were just standing still and he grasped Œl, who almost screamed by surprise, and ran away to go to the group.

"What's happening?" asked Gloria when she saw them coming.

"I think… I think I saw him… Them..." he replied, out of breath.

"You should have told me that before scaring the shit out of me!" said the cheetah.

"Them, you said?" asked immediately Qualt. "When? Where?"

"At one window. I saw yellow eyes! But there also was… I think it was that dragon you don't cease to talk about!"

"Hmmm… Did they just stood still? They did not attacked you? They just watched?"

"I don't know, maybe, when I saw them, I just panicked and ran away."

"I see…"

"Now we know that Usvork is in this castle, at least", added Milhrio. "And that's good news."

"But they know we're here", then said Gloria. "And that's a less good news."

"We'll have to be very careful", replied Qualt.

"As we always should be. Now that everyone's ready, can we enter?" finished Milhrio.

* * *

"I wonder who that dragon is..." said Qualt.

They were wandering together for ten minutes now. The cheetah and the mole had their blade out. There was a dead silence and they all were on the nerve, watching every corners, looking behind them, in front of them, right next to them. They were lost. Their heart was beating faster. And, for that, Ironhorns decided to talk.

"We know nothing about him except that the darker doesn't attack him and that he probably is like a master or something", he continued. "But we don't know how he does that or what he was before, if he always lived here."

"Sssshhhhh!" tried to whisper Œl. "The darker will know where we are if we keep talking aloud like that!"

"Indeed, and that's what we want", answered Gloria. "How are we gonna kill him if he never shows up! We're are hunting him, after all."

"I don't know who that dragon is and I don't care", then said Oster. "The only thing that matters is if he can be killed or not."

"Probably", answered Qualt. "Maybe not easily but everything has to die, right? It's a dragon after all. Ah ah! For who he is, imagine he's someone who was super important before. Or imagine if he was like my hidden father or grand-father and or that he is like a millennial emperor and that we are all linked."

"You read too much stories", replied Gloria. "Too much _bad _stories, full of clichés. The kind of stories you tell before night time, to kids. Like Œl", she finished by looking at him with a big smile and a giggle.

"Hey!"

"I know, I know. But it still would be funny. I would laugh", answered Qualt.

"Then, if the world was but a giant play", said Drer, "our creator would be stupidly awful."

"Ah ah! Yeah, that's why I would laugh."

"He could be everything. So maybe he was someone important in Warfang before. Or maybe he wasn't. That's still something we should keep in mind", then said Doug Harmot.

"As I say it again, I don't care who he is. The only thing that matters is if we can kill him or not. And I'll prefer him to be killable."

Their voices resonated as they stopped talking. It began to be darker and darker outside. And it always was cold.

But then they heard footsteps. They didn't know from which direction as the sound was hitting every walls to come to them. And then they heard a storming rain outside, which quickly covered the footstep noises.

"Don't panic… If we're all together, we're going to be fine", said Qualt, who saw Œl and Drer began to really stress.

They stopped moving for a few seconds. They looked all around them. Lightning. It illuminated the one part of the corridor. And they saw a shadow, that disappeared quicker than the light.

"Over there!" said Milhrio.

They ran towards it.

Thunder.

And when they were where the shadow was…

Nothing.

"I swear I saw it!" spat Oster.

"Yeah, I saw it too", said Gloria.

"Me too", added Doug. "I saw that shadow with my own eye."

"Where is it!" then said Qualt before yelling. "Where the fuck is it!"

Another lightning.

"There you are", he said before rushing towards the new shadow.

Thunder again.

But nothing. The shadow he saw what just an object in front of a window.

Then the group joined him and they continued to look around, searching for anything that could lead them to Usvork. Then:

"Wait..." said Doug. "I recognize where we are."

He pointed the corridor in front of them before continuing:

"That's where I lost my eye!"

Lightning.

A shadow moved in the distance. The entire group saw it.

Thunder.

They all rushed.

And it all went black again.

They then decided to lit a torch.

They continued to wander and to search him.

Rain noises continued to resonate through the entire castle.

Outside, mist rose from the ground and went to the windows.

The two moons were shining behind the clouds.

They then heard footsteps around.

And it all went black again.

The torch died.

Mist.


	27. Chapter XXV : Into the Mist

Darkness covered the mist. It was everywhere, opaque. And it was almost enough to separate the group as they could not see each other. But they stood close to each other, yelled _I AM HERE_ and were looking all around.

They knew the darker was there. It was his power, his element. And it was his voice that suddenly resonated:

"Kill… Kill… Kill…"

It felt like it was rotten, more monstrous than in the Ironhorns' memories. It was different yet very similar to what he remembered, enough to trigger something in him.

Pure rage.

"Where are you! Show yourself!" he yelled.

He thought seeing something, a form. He jumped on it. It was nothing.

"Qualt! We have to stay together!" said Gloria.

"Myst! I'm going to kill you!"

He saw a form again. He spat his ice on it!

Nothing.

"Like you did to my teammates..." he continued.

He looked all around him.

"Like you did to Gloria."

And the whispered continued:

"Kill… Kill… Kill…"

There was a lightning. They all could see the shadows in the mist. Quat could see his group.

But he mostly saw the slender darker. Usvork was slowly lurking all round them. And when the darkness came back, only his glowing yellow eyes remained. That when Ironhorns jumped towards them, all his claws out. But he missed as the eyes closed themselves. He turned back saw them glowing behind the mole.

"DOUG!"

But thunder covered his voice.

And then he heard a scream.

Another lightning.

The mole was okay. Milhrio protected him by punching Usvork, who then continued to lurk around them.

"Qualt! Behind you!" yelled Drer.

And it all went black again as Ironhorns's throat was grasped. He then was thrown away form the mist. As he hit the ground, thunder rumbled. He rolled around until a wall stop him. What ejected him was strong and it wasn't the darker. He looked up and saw in a moonlight beam, a blue dragon getting out of the mist. He had a developed musculature and he was bigger than Qualt. He looked like he was seventy years old. It was him that Doug Harmot talked about.

He got one of his horn-daggers out and rushed towards him! He tried to plant him with a single strike. But the dragon took the Qualt's wrist as the blade was about to hit him. And he then took him by the throat again as yells came from the mist. Ironhorns looked at it and wanted to protect the group from Usvork. But he was stuck now. The dragon almost strangled him and made him look at his face as another lightning covered it. It had four eyes painted on it.

And he then looked in his true eyes.

They were deep… and strange… He lost himself in the iris in a second, ignoring the green pupils. And he felt… weird… like if he wasn't himself anymore… There were screams but he wasn't listening… he wasn't hearing… He felt groggy… He released his iron horns… And he had the impression that an order was given to him...

He then was thrown away again, towards his group this time. He closed his eyes.

"Qualt!" said a voice.

And there was no more mist. Only silence. It was calm again. The fight was over. Usvork wasn't here anymore. Nor the blue dragon.

He got up with difficulties. But the others were here to help him.

"What happened?" said another voice that, this time, he recognized as Drer.

"I… uh… saw him… The blue dragon…"

Œl lit another torch so they could see around again. Gloria saw the horn on the ground and took it to give it back to Qualt. This one still felt really groggy.

"Usvork didn't attacked us really much and then ran away… Weird…" said Doug.

"Yeah… He was way more violent last time..." replied Ironhorns.

He took his breath and put his iron horn on his head. But then the world began to sway. Yet he was not drunk…

"Hey, Qualt, are you okay?" asked Gloria.

He cough and wanted to puke. He took a great inspiration.

And he saw Doug's head falling off to then roll on the ground. He looked at it, in silence. He could not say a word… Something was in his throat. He wanted to cry, to yell, but nothing, only tears. He looked up and then saw the darker behind Milhrio.

"Behind you!" he succeed to say.

But it was useless as Usvork planted his claws into the blood dragon's eyes and then ripped off a part of his head. Qualt jumped on him while yelling his despair and anger. But the darker dodged and jumped on Œl to quickly eviscerate him. Blood and guts fell on the ground.

"Stop it! Please! Don't kill them!" yelled Ironhorns, completely powerless.

But the darker wasn't listening and then killed Drer and took Gloria. He threw her on the ground and, with his fangs…

Slowly killed her in a way that was too similar to another murder for Qualt.

The ice's dragon breath was jerky. The world continued to sway. He suddenly saw, over every corpses, a darker. There was six Usvork all around him. And that's when madness got him. Without controlling himself, he tried to slash each darker! But they all dodged, looking at each other. Qualt yelled and cried and punched one of them away, that hit a wall.

And someone hit him behind the head. Everything around turned dark.

* * *

…

* * *

"Qualt!" a voice said.

It was familiar.

He tried to open his eyes. His eyelids were heavy… but he still succeed to see a little in front of him.

"Qualt! Wake up!"

He recognized the voice.

It was _her_ voice.

Was it…

Was it a nightmare…?

He opened fully his eyes and saw, in front of him, a red dragoness.

"Are you okay…?", she said, really concerned.

"Gloria? Are you… You're alive…"

He then realized what he said.

"You're alive!" he repeated.

He jumped on her to hug her. He then saw the entire group. They were all alive.

"I thought you were all dead… I saw the darker kill you one by one…"

"You tried to kill us all, and you really brutally punched Drer", said Milhrio.

"Yeah, I almost lost a tooth", added this one.

"We had to put you on the ground", finished Gloria.

"What? Oh… I was seeing six darkers, they all were Usvork. And I couldn't control myself, I tried to attack them all. And the world was swaying. And I… I… I'm sorry, guys… I'm happy that you are all alive…"

"Hmmm…" then said Drer. "You said that you looked that blue dragon in the eyes and then that happened. So it's maybe the fear element, but that doesn't work because he's not a darker, or it's the hypnosis one. Or it's something that we don't know, like some sort of strange magical powers. But it's really possible that it is the hypnosis element, yeah."

"That would explain a lot of things", added Doug Harmot. "That's maybe why Usvork don't attacked him: because he used his element on him and ordered to not attack him… and maybe to obey him."

"Possible, yeah", answered Qualt. "He also had four eyes painted on the face."

"So it does make the thing obvious", replied Gloria, who still had her husband in her arms.

"But we must continue", said the ice dragon.

"I injured the darker", said Œl. "There's some yellow blood on the ground. It makes a trail we can follow."

Qualt nodded and then replied:

"It's not over. And we have a darker and a blue dragon to kill."

Outside, the thunderstorm continued just as the hunt.

* * *

They followed the yellow stains on the ground. They were sneaky to try to take Usvork by surprise and thus to kill him quickly. Only their heartbeat could be heard. Unfortunately, they still had to have a torch with them to see a thing, which made them more visible. So they were stealthy only with the sounds they were and, most important, were _not_ making.

Qualt was in the front: he wanted to be the first to hit the darker. But his determination and stubbornness didn't mean he wasn't paying attention to what was surrounding him. In fact, he still was looking all around him non stop as he felt observed and knew that Usvork could come from everywhere. Him or the blue dragon. And if it was this one, the only instruction was: _do not, at any cause, __look at__ him in the eyes. _The fear and sort of nightmare he had, where he saw everyone die, even reinforced his lust for darker's blood and hypnosis dragon's guts.

"Over there, I see light", whispered Gloria.

"Yeah, I see it too", replied Drer.

They approached. Slowly. Really slowly. They tried to do as less noise as possible. And where they were close, they could hear someone talking. They could not see him yet. Maybe it was the blue dragon.

"Listen to me, my son… And look at me… Good… You'll continue to obey me… Follow my voice… Do everything it says… Kill them… Kill… Kill… Kill…"

It was the blue dragon.

His voice was suave, as sweet and gentle as fresh silk, hypnotising: if he was a singer, he would have been really popular.

The group didn't move. They waited the perfect moment to strike. And there was a total silence after that. Then, footsteps. The blue dragon was getting out of the room the darker was in. They were lucky: he didn't took the door which Qualt was near of. They waited again. And other footsteps could be heard. They were lighters. And they were going away from them. The ice dragon looked at the rest of the group and, with a move of his claws, showed that…

… it was the moment.

Qualt took one of his horn-daggers and rushed into the room. It was enlightened by the moons light from the window. Usvork turned around and screeched before mist covered him entirely.

"Oh no you don't!" said Ironhorns before jumping on him.

But the darker dodged and everyone else rushed on him. There was an extraordinary melee. Drer was the only one who stood in the distance. He had a plan. Gloria spat her fire, which hit Usvork. But this last ran and rammed her. Doug tried to hit him with a blade but his adversary dodged. Milhrio could then give him a slash from his claws. It wasn't lethal nor too deep but it was enough to make him bleed and to put him on the ground. Then, Œl jumped on him but the darker caught him and grasped him. He then put him on the ground and putted his sharps and bloody fangs near his head. He was about to die. But Qualt planted his iron horn in his side. He screeched and spat his word three times again while slashed Ironhorns chest. This one yelled in pain but he had the reflexes to step back so the injuries didn't kill him.

"Stop! Come to me!"

It was the blue dragon's voice.

The darker looked towards it.

It was Drer.

Usvork then looked all around in incomprehension.

It was the perfect distraction for Qualt Ironhorns to rush on his target! The darker turned around too late and couldn't escape his adversary's wrath as he was rammed over and as they both brutally went through a closed window, glass shards flying away and planting themselves in both's flesh at the impact.

And they both fell to the mud like rain drops during the thunderstorm.

Usvork's bones were crushed as Qualt fell on him when they hit the ground. The ice dragon rolled on the side as lightning flashed. He looked at his enemy and got up, ignoring the pain that the impact and the glass shreds were doing to him. The darker tried to get up but two of his members were dislocated. Then, mist began to emanate from his body. But that didn't bothered Qualt, who went closer to Usvork. Thunder growled and almost made the earth tremble.

It was now… He was in front of Usvork, of Myst, of the darker that killed all his teammates, that killed his sister, that broke his horns and thus made them in iron. It was him that he hated the most, him that he swore to destroy just as he destroyed him. And it was the moment where it was coming to an end, where his thirst of revenge would be delighted. It was the moment he waited since he saw Gloria's neck break, the moment for which he took so many lives.

It was now.

Finally…

They looked themselves in the eyes.

Qualt was on the verges of crying.

And he was on the verges of madness.

He took a deep breath and…

"Kill… Kill… Kill…" he whispered. "Kill… Kill… Kill…"

Mist enveloped the dragon and the darker.

It was covering and hiding both of them from the world.

Qualt took his iron horns as he continued to say the fatal word.

Then Usvork joined him.

"Kill… Kill… Kill…" they both whispered.

The dragon could now only see the glowing yellow eyes.

"Kill… Kill… Kill…"

It was like a ritualistic sacrifice.

He rose his daggers.

They both began to say the word louder and louder.

They were yelling it.

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

Qualt, then, stroke with his horns.

And yellow blood squirted.

And flesh was slashed.

And bones were broken.

And guts were torn apart

And resonated both of their voices, none recognizable from the other.

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

Mist began to fade away.

Their forms were now visible.

"KILL! KILL! KILL!"

The movement repeated itself.

The sounds repeated themselves.

And only the voice of Qualt Ironhorns was heard yelling.

The other now remained silent.

Forever.

"KILL! KILL! KILL!"

Mist was now gone.

Forever.

Qualt was crying.

He couldn't stop it.

He rose his daggers again.

And his movement was stopped. Someone took his wrists. He turned around. It was Gloria. Behind her was the rest of the group.

"It's over now. He's dead…" she whispered to him.

Qualt fell on her to cry as she took him closer.

There was a long moment of silence as he continued to sob in her arms.

"It's over…" she added again.

Qualt took a deep breath.

"Not yet", he said as he turned around to Usvork.

He then symbolically planted and let one of his iron horn-daggers on his corpse.

"The other will be for the blue dragon."

And he walked away from the body.

* * *

It continued to rain. The corpse was covered in mud. Two arms, then, took it and rose it from the ground. It was the blue dragon. He was waiting for the group to leave before coming. He embraced the body. And tears flowed down his cheeks. He closed his eyes and cradled Usvork against him.

"I am sorry, son… I am sorry… Sleep well, now… May the ancestors protect you…"

And he slowly mumbled a lullaby.

A lullaby he couldn't finish.

He then rose his head and opened his eyes. With rage, he took out the iron horn-dagger and swore that he was going to eliminate one by one the entire group in his castle and that he was going to do everything to kill kill kill Qualt Ironhorns.


	28. Chapter XXVI : To dance with Death

They were back in the castle. Qualt was holding his other iron horn, ready to hack and slash with it. He was looking at each corner, at each room. He was determined to find the dragon.

He was hunting.

And it was the only thing that mattered anymore for him: now that he killed Usvork, he had to kill the blue dragon to completely finish his revenge and also to prevent him to make other darkers obey him.

Œl and Doug were on the back of a dragon, Drer for the first and Milhrio for the second, so they could more focus on everything around but mostly on everything behind. The torch's fire enlightened their way, surrounding them by a shield or a forcefield against the darkness. It was like an old horror story, where horror and danger could come from every corner, from every shadow, to strike and to suddenly kill kill kill. The only one who was able to see beyond it was the cheetah and that reassured the group. They all still were on the nerve. They knew that the dragon could come at anytime: just a simple slash from his claws and someone could die. Or, worst, if someone would look at him in they eyes, he could become his puppet, ready to kill the others or to kill himself. At some moments, they thought they heard a noise or saw something moving. But it was their imagination. Or was it? They were not sure. Their enemy was here since a long time, he could know each stone this place was made of. He then could be everywhere, watching them, waiting the right time to attack them.

It was a hunt between two different predators and between two different preys.

But this was the risk of the job.

As thunder continued to play its symphony, they continued through the dark maze-like corridors.

A form in the shadows moved. But it was Qualt who saw it while Œl, who was looking at the same direction, saw nothing. Then resonated from all the corridors the suave voice:

"Kill… Kill… Kill…"

The group stopped moving. They looked around. They watched around. They turned around. And they listened around.

But nothing.

He was there, really close. They knew it. But they didn't know exactly where.

And they started to move again. Really slowly.

Thunder.

Or was it?

It was strange.

They were all ready to attack.

Qualt prepared his dagger. One hit, one drop of blood, and Milhrio could kill him. But they had to injure him first. Easy, right? But he could kill Milhrio and that plan would be ruined. He watched over everybody in the group, one by one. He did not want another slaughter. But he was confident. They could kill that blue dragon and give an end to all of this.

But they had to find him first. Or else…

The dragon suddenly appeared from one door and planted Qualt's iron horn into Drer's chest! The sound dragon groaned with pain! Œl tried to slash their enemy but he dodged and took out the dagger before running away and returning where he came from, into darkness. The cheetah looked at him and saw him entering a secret passage in the wall of the room and told it to the others.

Drer fell on the ground and began to bleed out.

Qualt hold him and returned him, desperate. It was happening again… He knew the risks but he still wasn't accepting them… His friend was dying in his arms.

"No… Please, don't fucking die…"

Drer groaned again and looked at Qualt. He smiled. And he laughed. Then he answered:

"Funny how unlucky I am, eh...?"

"Funny how lucky you are, my boy!" replied Doug Harmot.

He was behind, examining the wound.

"It's deep but not too much", he added. "We have time. Qualt, put him on the ground, slowly. Milhrio, you're gonna help me save this dragon. First, your blood element. After, you know what to do."

"Yes sir!"

"Qualt, Gloria and me are gonna chase this dragon meanwhile", said Œl.

"Kid, you're staying with us and you'll let the love birds handle it. You're gonna help us with the instrument and the dragon", answered Doug to that before turning towards Qualt. "He'll live but what I'll do here will just be enough to save him and help him walk. When we'll be back at Warfang, I'll take more care of him. And after Drer will be saved, we're gonna rejoin you to help you and Gloria."

The fire and ice dragons nodded.

"I'm gonna leave some marks behind so you will be able to follow it and find us", said Gloria.

"Thanks", replied Milhrio.

"Good luck", said the mole.

Then, Qualt and Gloria rushed towards the secret passage to find the blue dragon.

* * *

"Here! I see him!"

They were running after him for a few minutes. Gloria, with a white chalk, quickly drew crosses and arrows on the stone walls during the entire run. And, during it, they could see a thing with the Gloria's fire powers: a flame here and a fire ball over there and they could see they way but also their enemy's shadow.

Now, he was in front of them, meters away. He wasn't in a secret passage anymore but in a giant circular room. On the roof were painted dragons fighting each other. And there was, right in the middle, three dragons fighting each others: Spyro and Cynder against Malefor. Those three were painted over the very old battle scene. There was another door behind the blue dragon. And there was a lever next to him. He pulled it when Qualt and Gloria entered and everything began to tremble. A noise like thunder could be heard. Then the ground began to slowly go down as the walls grew higher and higher.

Qualt iced one of his fist and prepared his other to strike with his iron horn. Gloria prepared herself to jump and clash.

"Now's your time!" said Ironhorns.

"Maybe", answered the blue dragon, ready to fight with the other horn-dagger. "But what I can assure you is that you'll suffer. Just like you did to my son. And both of you won't be enough."

He tried to look at them in the eyes but their head were turned towards the ground. They had to concentrate themselves on the sounds and noises but also on their adversary's legs.

They saw his legs jump and they heard his wings. He rushed towards Gloria. She dodged and Qualt took the occasion to punch him. He hit and the blue dragon rolled on the ground. But he stopped himself and got up. He then saw Gloria rushing on him. He couldn't escape and got projected far away. He then flew in the airs again as the platform was still descending. Ironhorns, based on the sounds of the winds, rose his head and began to spit his ice. Unfortunately, it didn't hit hit as his adversary fell on him. He then took him by the throat and flew away to the roof with him. He tried to hypnotise him but he kept his eyes closes. So he went near the wall and prepared to put his dagger into the ice dragon's head. He rose the horn but then was punched by the fire dragoness. Qualt thanked her and went back into the battle by trying to punch the blue dragon again. But he dodged. He tried to slash him, then. But he dodged again. And again. And Gloria tried to slash him from behind. The blue dragon saw that and stooped to let Ironhorns take the hit. Qualt dodged on the side and took that distraction to punch his adversary in the jaw. This one flew away and rolled on the side. He got up and, when Gloria tried to hit him again, he used the iron dagger to defend himself with a quick slash. It was to late for her to do anything but to move a bit on the side. And instead on being lethally injured, she got out with a small scar.

Then one of the walls disappeared, letting everyone see the exterior and the scenery Œl saw. The thunderstorm was still there but it was less violent. And the two moons could be seen up a mountain as a hole in the clouds didn't hide them.

The fight continued: it all went back and forth between the three dragons.

And, as Gloria spat her fire on the hypnosis dragon, he went through, a bit burned, but succeed to jump on Ironhorns by surprise. He took him by the throat and made him look in the eyes.

One second was enough to order him to try to fell through the hole without flying. And Qualt couldn't control himself and began to walk towards his downfall. Gloria tried to stop him but the blue dragon planted the dagger on her shoulder, missing the throat. She yelled in pain and punched the dragon way, who was projected with the dagger still in hand. She turned back to her husband. He was very close to the hole. Too close. And he began to fall. She jumped and, with her wings, rushed to catch mid air Ironhorns. A lightning showed up as she was near him. And thunder went when she caught him. She then held him and fled to the room as the platform finished to go down. She threw Qualt to the ground to wake him up. And, after he violently rolled on the side, he got up and shook his head. It apparently worked.

But the blue dragon was here and fled toward Gloria. She was looking at Qualt and got rammed by him. She was on the ground and on her back but she suddenly rolled on the side as her enemy tried to finish her by rushing on her with the Qualt's iron horn. She rolled again. And again, dodging every hit. She couldn't fight back, she had not the time as he was trying to kill her with very quick strike.

Qualt was taking back his mind while the dragoness he loved was getting attacked. And, as she was defending herself, he had an idea. Maybe it wasn't going to work at all but he still had to try.

Gloria was on her back again. She saw something glimmering at the moons light. It was the dagger going right toward her head. With her two front claws, she stopped the blade and closed her eyes. She put her strength to resist, to hold the dagger. It was now really close to penetrate her brain…

And the dragon got punched away by Qualt. He then rushed on him. While Gloria was getting up, the blue dragon looked at Ironhorns. But he remarked that something was different with him, with his _open _eyes. Indeed, in front of them, he created ice. He tried to hypnotise him but it did not work.

This was the Qualt's plan. It made his vision all blurry but it worked as it was enough to protect him from being under his adversary's control. The blue dragon roared in rage parried the Ironhorns' dagger attack. He tried to slash him after but Gloria jumped on him and she vomited her fire. He thus had to jump on the side. A lighting flashed and enlightened the entire room, that was more like a cave to welcome flying dragons before.

The ice dragon then took the blade of his dagger and, with his ice power, made a bigger blade. And he tried to hit the blue dragon with it. But he parried with the other dagger and jumped to punch to closest to him. It was Gloria. She took it in her jaw. She then got grabbed by the throat and, as she couldn't do anything about it, got violently threw away at a close wall. The impact was brutal.

When she hit the ground, she was knocked out.

This was enough to enrage Qualt. He yelled and rushed towards him to slash him. But he dodged and caught the ice blade after to break it. He then took Ironhorns wrist to pull him closer and to punch him. This one, at the impact, let out his dagger fell on the ground. The ice covering his eyes were broken to pieces that fled all around. And the blue dragon took it. He had now the two iron horn-daggers. He then walked towards him.

"Kill… Kill… Kill…" he began to whisper.

Qualt thus got ready to dodge…

But his adversary already jumped on him to strike. And he got one dagger planted on the side. Ironhorns groaned in pain. But the other horn was coming down too. He saw it at the last second and had the reflex to catch the wrist to stop the blade. And he gave a headbutt to the blue dragon, who stepped back.

"Kill… Kill… Kill…" he continued, madness beginning to control him.

He tried to slash Qualt again but he dodged, not without great pain as the other horn was still planted in him. But after another dodged, he fell on the ground. The blue dragon saw the perfect occasion to finish it. But Qualt quickly reacted as he took his bag to protect himself. And it worked, it took the blade and got hacked by a single strike, letting everything inside fall out.

Including the old horns of Ironhorns.

That's on what he focused. Too much, as the blue dragon stroke again. This time, he didn't miss his target and planted the blade below the neck. Qualt roared because of the pain. But he took his old horns and made a quick move. His adversary did not see it coming and thus now had an organic horn planted on his side. He roared too and stepped back on the side. Then Qualt, with the other old horn, penetrated his enemy's wing's bone and broke it. Another roar and the both stepped back.

Ironhorns took out the iron horns off his body and threw them away, on the side. Behind him was the hole, his back enlightened by the moons and wet by the rain.

Lightning.

The blue dragon did not took out any horn and looked directly at Qualt. Both of their vision was blurry. But not for the same reason. They both were really wounded and tired.

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

Thunder!

He rushed towards Qualt and rammed him.

They both rolled on the ground and began to fall down the pit. But Qualt succeed to hold himself at a rock cavity. The blue dragon continued to fall… but caught with his two claws one of the Ironhorns' legs. Pain was massive. And it didn't get better as his adversary tried to climb up. The ice dragon was still holding tight. It began to be slippery with the rain. The other was heavy. He wasn't going to hold on for too long… The hypnosis dragon tried to climb up again, yelling:

"KILL! KILL! KILL!"

But Qualt succeed to kick him in the throat. He hold tight the first time. The second time. Ironhorns began to be really tired.

Lightning.

He barely had enough strength left…

But he kicked again.

Thunder.

And the blue dragon release his leg and fell down, brutally hitting the rocks, breaking all his bones at each impact and disappearing while yelling.

Then, after a few seconds, only the rain noises could be heard.

Qualt was still holding but he began to slip down.

It really was over, now.

He had no more objective to do in his life, nothing left.

Now, nothing really had a sense to him.

Nothing else mattered.

It was over.

Blood was flowing all over his body.

He lost everything, was broken.

And he never was going to be fixed.

He wanted an end to all of this.

He swore to take his revenge in front of his sister's grave.

He made a promise.

And he kept it.

And he swore that Qualt Ironhorns would die to become one of them.

To rejoin them in the grave and to end forever the Ironhorns' family.

He had no reason left to live.

He felt appeased.

A smile grew on his face.

He then closed his eyes.

He sighed.

And he let go to fall down with the rain.

…

But suddenly he felt something clasping his wrists. He slowly opened his eyes. Tears began to flow down and fall like the rain drops.

Gloria and Drer were both holding him. And they rose him. They saved him.

Once on the ground, Qualt saw Doug Harmot, Milhrio Oster and Œl behind.

He then looked back his saviours. And he embraced Drer and Gloria, he embraced his friend and his love while crying.

* * *

_That's when I realised…_

_ I still had reasons to live._


	29. Epilogue : Qualt Ironhorns

They all were tired. Œl even slept on Qualt's back while they were returning to Warfang. And some of them were really injured.

But they were alive.

And that was the most important thing.

They entered back in Warfang during the night. Qualt had his iron horns back on him. After passing the gate under the Foudre's eyes, they all went to the Doug Harmot's house. Qualt and Drer were the ones who needed care the most. They also were the ones who needed to rest the most. Milhrio the mole made sure they healed up. This last was also really glad to add the last details about Usvork and the dragon behind him into his researches books.

And when Qualt and Drer got up, in the same room, they looked at each other and laughed: everytime at the hospital.

Meanwhile, Œl came sometime to pay a visit. He wanted to thank them again, from his entire soul. But he also really liked them. Just as the rest of the group began to really like that kid. They still called him by that name, just to tease him.

The entire time, Qualt had a smile on his face. He was fixed, as his friend Drer said.

And when he got home with Gloria, he felt appeased.

He finally was happy again.

* * *

This, reader, was the story of Qualt Ironhorns.

_**Fin**_


End file.
